Political rivals in Leyte have crossed party lines to support the vice presidential bid of Senator Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr.
In the 4th district of Leyte which includes Ormoc City , the rivalry is between two husband-and-wife teams, the Codilla couple and the Gomez couple.
Reelectionist Ormoc City Mayor Edward Codilla is running against actor Richard Gomez while Codilla’s wife, Violy, is pitted against Gomez’s wife, incumbent Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres Gomez.
But when Marcos brought his Unity Caravan to Ormoc City Sunday, both couples, in separate meetings, pledged their full support for Marcos, the frontrunner in the country’s highest second highest post.
In courtesy call to Codilla, Marcos was openly endorsed by the incumbent mayor saying he is crossing party lines for the senator’s sake.
Codilla is a member of the United People’s Coalition.
In a separate meeting with Gomez, who is a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, Marcos also got the former’s support saying he and his wife, who is a member of the ruling Liberal Party, have always been a supporter of the senator.
However, Rep. Torres was not present during the meeting as her flight back to Ormoc was delayed.
Gomez said he has been a long-time Marcos supporter. “In fact I supported President Marcos Sr. when he ran for reelection during the snap election and his running mate was Senator [Arturo] Tolentino,” said Gomez, who lost to Codilla in the 2013 polls by a slim margin.
The young Marcos said he was humbled by the endorsements acknowledging that it is a big boost to his campaign during the homestretch.
Meanwhile, Marcos also got the backing of Liberal Party candidates in Maasin City, Leyte. They pledged their support for Marcos during the “2nd Barangay Day Celebration 2016” held in the city last Sunday.
LP gubernatorial candidate Damian Mercado, congressional candidate Roger Mercado, mayoralty candidate Lito Mercado, and vice mayoralty candidate Malone Samaco all referred to Marcos as the next vice president.
As a gesture of support, Mercado led members of his LP ticket in raising Marcos’ hand.
Marcos thanked the LP local candidates for their support and warm welcome saying they have shown the kind of unity he is espousing all throughout the campaign.
Marcos said he is also campaigning for the movement for unity of the Filipino people “so we can be together in alleviating the lives of our people.”
Latest survey results showed Marcos remaining as the frontrunner in the vice presidential race, attributing this feat to the people’s support through his Unity Caravan.