Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday, April 18, that the press conference of three presidential bets, where Isko Moreno called on Vice President Leni Robredo to quit the race for the presidency, was a dud.
On the other hand, former Murcia mayor Esteban “Sonny” Coscolluela, Negros Occidental spokesperson of presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said it was the last nail in the political coffin of Robredo.
Moreno, Panfilo Lacson and Norberto Gonzales held a press conference on Sunday where they announced that they are not withdrawing from the presidential race, and offered themselves as alternatives to Robredo, who has been ranked number two in the surveys.
“I thought that the press conference was a dud, people were expecting more than what they said. People were expecting that a couple of presidential candidates would withdraw in favor of another presidential candidate,” said Lacson, who is supporting Robredo.
The governor said he thought that the lower ranking presidential candidates would withdraw in favor of Moreno.
“But it turned out they were just telling us what we already know, that there is really an effort for the opposition to rally behind one candidate,” Lacson said.
“It was really very disappointing and there was really no need for that press conference. I don’t know what they were trying to achieve,” he added.
The vice president recognizes that Marcos is ahead and had always said there is a need to work harder, including conducting house-to-house campaigns, to win, Lacson said.
They see that there is still a possibility to turn things around, he added.
Coscolluela said Marcos, who is a popular presidential bet, has the support of 90 percent of the governors and 80 percent of the mayors in the country that is a surefire formula for victory.
“The last nail on the coffin of the number two candidate was the presscon of the three presidentiables,” Coscolluela said.
He pointed out that at the press conference the three
acknowledged that Marcos is number one in the presidential race.
They also said at the rate things are going the margin of Marcos to Robredo is impossible to beat, “that there is no way number two can overtake number one,” Coscolluela added.
On the Catholic Church campaigning for Robredo, Coscolluela said he does not believe there is a Catholic vote.
“I feel sad that there is a big segment, although not all of them, campaigning for Robredo…(because) they have not separated their role as Church from the state,” he said.
He said maybe it will open the eyes of legislators. “Since they meddle in state affairs, maybe it’s time the state comes up with a law taxing the Catholic Church of all its properties,” Coscolluela said.*