“Di kayang sukatin ng numero ang lalim ng pagmamahal ninyo. Maraming maraming salamat sa inyo.”
This was the message of Vice President Leni Robredo to her supporters amid the partial and unofficial tally of votes for the presidential race in the 2022 elections.
According to the latest partial unofficial tally, her rival, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., leads the elections with more than 30.9 million votes.
He is followed by Robredo with over 14.6 million votes.
In line with these figures, Robredo went live at around 1:50 a.m. to address her supporters, collectively called “kakampinks.”
Robredo thanked them for their votes and their efforts to campaign alongside her, her running mate Sen. Kiko Pangilinan and the rest of her team in the past months.
“Sa mga milyon-milyong nagtipon sa mga rallies, naghouse-to-house, nagpaskil ng mga tarps, nagpost sa social media, nagsulat, gumawa ng mga video at patalastas, sa mga medic, sa mga kusang naglinis sa ating mga rallies, nagpinta, tumugtog at nagpahiram ng boses para maipakita ang lakas ng taumbayan na nakatikim ng pag-asa,” Robredo said.
“Di kayang sukatin ng numero ang lalim ng pagmamahal ninyo. Maraming maraming salamat sa inyo,” she added.
Robredo also acknowledged her supporters’ dismay over reports of irregularities during the voting period.
To spring some hope into their hearts, she recalled the big impact her volunteer-driven campaign made on the participants during their campaign activities.
“Nagsimula tayo sa halos wala. Pero unti-unti, dumating ang nag-ambagan. Dumami ng dumami ang nagbabayanihan. Dinapuan kayo ng inspirasyon at lumikha ng sining,” Robredo said.
“Dahil sa pagbubukas palad ninyo, parating nag uumapaw ang pagkain at tubig sa mga pagtitipon natin. Alam kong maraming pagkakaton na napagod kayo. Pero lagi nairaos ninyo ang susunod na hakbang,” she added.
Robredo also highlighted anew the nature of her campaign as the “people’s campaign.”
“Maging panatag sa inyong ambag: May nasimulan tayong hindi pa kailanman nasasaksihan sa buong kasaysayan ng bansa. Isang kampanyang pinamunuan ng taumbayan. Isang kilusang nabuo hindi lang para baklasin ang luma at bulok na systema, kundi para magpanday ng totoo at positibong pagbabago,” she said.
Because of such solidarity, the veteran lawyer assured supporters that their efforts are not wasted.
“Walang nasayang. Hindi tayo nabigo. Pinakamahalaga, hindi pa tayo tapos. Nagsisimula pa lang tayo,” she said.
Robredo then called on them to continue to fight for the poor and other advocacies even after the elections.
“Wala akong planong abandonahin ang mga bagay na habambuhay ko ng pinaglalaban. Tuloy ang trabaho ko, para iangat ang buhay ng mga nasa laylayan. Tinatawag ko kayo para samahan ako dito at sa iba pang mga laban,” she said.
Robredo ended her address with an encouraging and comforting message to the “kakampinks.”
“Nasa kamay ng karaniwang Pilipino ang tunay na kapangyarihan. Kayo ang totoong namumuno, sumusunod lang ako. Huwag mapagod. Bukas at magpakailanman, magkakasama ang lahat ng Pilipino,” she said.
How Robredo supporters reacted
After this video aired, some of the remarks and phrases she uttered reached the trending topics on Twitter Philippines:
- Hindi pa tapos ang laban.
- Lalaban tayo.
- Tuloy ang laban.
- Walang mag coconcede.
- Hindi pa tayo tapos.
- Ang namulat
The hashtag #Leni also joined this list as her supporters shared how Robredo’s words motivated and comforted them amid the dismal situation.
“VP Leni’s words are very inspiring. She is not conceding. She is mobilizing us to act beyond the elections, no matter the outcome. She is right, we WILL take the streets if we need to, and our action does not stop with the elections. The power is with us. PEOPLE POWER!” one user said.
“The fact that Madam #Leni just took the time to thank us and tell us that the fight’s not over yet meant a lot to me. She KNOWS we’re all exhausted, angry and anxious. And I really needed that reminder of what we need to continue to stand up for,” another user tweeted.
Others were happy Robredo did not concede.
“Walang nagconcede. Instead a comforting message for all the supporters,” one user said.
