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Isabela: ‘BBM-Sara’ country

February 15, 2022 Ryan Ponce Pacpaco 583 views

CAUAYAN City, Isabela – THE province of Isabela, which has an estimated voting population of one million, is shaping up to be a BBM-Sara UniTeam country.

This can be gleaned from the remarks of Isabela Governor Rodito Albano, who gave a warm welcome to Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) vice presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte during the latter’s visit to the province via the “Mahalin Natin ang Pilipinas Ride” (MNPR) on Tuesday.

Also on hand to welcome the presidential daughter was Vice Gov. Bodjie Dy.

Albano and Dy are both Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) stalwarts.

They met Duterte and House Majority Leader and Lakas-CMD President Martin G. Romualdez at the Cauayan City Airport Tuesday morning.

Duterte and her team have carried out the MNPR even before the start of the campaign period as a way for the presidential daughter to touch base with Filipinos from all over the country and share her appeal for patriotism.

“I thank the good mayor from Davao for her gesture of traveling all the way from the south up just to visit our humble province. This admirable act is neither lost on me nor the voters from Isabela,” Albano said.

“Honestly, nobody would blame Mayor Inday Sara if she choose not to come here; she could have relied solely on the popularity up north of former Senator Bongbong Marcos (BBM) and still could have enjoyed a comfortable victory. But she is here with us today and we are delighted,” Albano said.

Mayor Duterte, daughter of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, is running alongside Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in the upcoming May 2022 elections.

Dubbed the “UniTeam”, the BBM-Sara tandem has consistently led all pre-election surveys.

According to Albano, the lady mayor’s active participation in the MNPR shows her genuine care for Filipinos from top to bottom of the archipelago.

“I can say that even before the campaign began, we in Isabela were already all-in for BBM-Sara UniTeam. Ngayon pa kaya na nakita namin ang sinseridad nila, especially Mayor Inday Sara,” Albano said.

For his part, Dy said, “Mayor Inday Sara may have been born in the south, but Isabela is very much her territory, too. Isabela is BBM-Sara territory.”

“Kasama kami sa solid north, madami ang Ilocano sa amin, like my roots po na Allbano ay galing Ilocos Norte. This is BBM-Sara country,” declared Isabela 1st District Rep. Tonypet Albano, Region II chairman of Lakas-CMD.

Referring to Mayor Duterte’s MNPR, Rep. Albano said, “Alam ko po na lahat ng taga-Isabela po ay pupunta po sa kalye kung saan siya dadaan para maipakita po ang buong suporta ng lalawigan.”

“Sobrang solid north talaga ito, napaka-init ‘yung pagtanggap,” commented Romualdez in an ambush interview after seeing the outpouring of support from locals.

Gov. Albano assured solid support come election day for the UniTeam senatorial slate, which includes distinguished candidates such as former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, former Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gibo Teodoro, and Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta.

Villar, Teodoro, and UniTeam senatorial candidate Harry Roque joined the political activities here.

According to Gov. Albano, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has prioritized Isabela when it comes to development projects.

“So it’s no wonder why local folk easily warmed up to his daughter. It is during the current administration that the 1.7-kilometer Cabagan Bypass Road and 450-meter Pigalo Bridge were constructed under Build, Build, Build led by Mark Villar,” Gov. Albano said.

Also part of President Duterte’s “legacies” in the province is the construction of a two-storey building for the local Philippine National Police (PNP) and the upgrade of the domestic airport.

On Tuesday morning, Mayor Duterte led the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Ituloy ang Pagbabago Movement (IPM) Headquarters in Cauayan City, Isabela.

Right after the event, her team went to Provincial Capitol to meet Albano and other local officials.

Duterte, Lakas-CMD chairperson, was again mobbed by locals, but her team was consistent in reminding the people to observe minimum public health standards.

Health protocols were also imposed at the capitol during her meeting with the governor.

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