Senatorial candidates of PDP Laban on Saturday wooed voters of Calamba, Laguna, by offering Vice President Sara Duterte’s sure acquittal in her impeachment trial through a landslide win in mid-term polls.

“I am not trying to be a prophet but I am assuring you that all of us nine candidates of PDP Laban would emerge victorious,” returning Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa guaranteed, adding that all PDP candidates remain at the top 12 of various surveys.

He also criticized social media users whom he said have been emboldened to show off the use of illicit substances on live streams or blogs, implying that drug peddling and using have once again become rampant in the country after the tough war on drugs of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

Before him, singer and known Duterte ally, lawyer Jimmy Bondoc, urged voters not to allow 16 senator-judges in the upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte to trample the 32 million votes that the young Duterte had reaped during the 2016 vice presidential race.

“If you will vote for us all, then we will be at the Senate to defend the Vice President from being impeached. Let us not allow Congress to disregard the 32 million Filipinos who trusted VP Sara,” according to Bondoc.

For the VP to be impeached, a two-thirds vote of the 24 elected Senators, who will become Senator Judges during the upcoming impeachment trial, is needed based on the Constitution.

A total of 240 members of the House of Representatives impeached the Vice President last month.

PhilHealth mess

For his part, Senator Christopher Lawrence Bong Go also urged the rally participants to vote for his co-candidates Kingdom of Jesus Christ Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, Bondoc, Dela Rosa, lawyer Raul Lambino, actor Philip Salvador, lawyer Jayvee Hinlo, guest candidate Sagip Partylist Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, and former Executive ecretary Vic Rodriguez.

The lawmaker, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health once again hit the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), stating: “PhilHealth should serve our kababayans, and not make a business out of it.”

Go also bragged to the attendees about the 185 laws he sponsored and co-sponsored, including the passage of the Malasakit Center Act of 2019, forming Malasakit Centers in hospitals that have been helping impoverished patients, as well as the Super Health Centers and Regional Specialty Center.

The Malasakit Centers program has successfully helped more than 12 million Filipinos and established 166 Malasakit Centers nationwide, according to Go.

Meanwhile, movie personality “Ipe” Salvador vowed that if he wins, he will further push for programs that will ensure the welfare of senior citizens in the country, adequate jobs for fellow Filipinos, and quality and free education for students, among others.

He also threw a blow to members of the House of Representatives Quadcom Committee for impeaching VP Sara and made her appear to be a thief, stating “Walang magnanakaw na Duterte (There is no thief among the Dutertes).”   

As he is currently detained at the Pasig City Jail for various charges, including sex crimes, Quiboloy was represented by social media influencer “Banat By” and his legal counsel Atty. Israelito Torreon, who blatantly hit the Marcos Jr. administration and his allegedly trolls for peddling fake news, among others.

Torreon, for his part, maintained that Quiboloy was innocent of all charges being thrown against him.

 “Let us protect our votes as they made it appear that Pastor Quiboloy is Number 28 in the surveys. That is not true. Duterte candidates are the frontrunners,” Torreon said.