Arroyo hosts senatorial bets Enrile, Glenn Chong in Pampanga hometown

Believing that they are among the "most competent" and "most qualified" candidates in the May midterm elections, Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo hosted senatorial bets Juan Ponce Enrile and Glenn Chong in her hometown in Lubao, Pampanga on Monday.

Enrile and Chong were the latest senatorial bets that Arroyo hosted in her bailiwick after she graced the campaign sorties Hugpong ng Pagbabago candidates as well as that of former Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan III and lawyer Larry Gadon.

According to Arroyo, the Kapampangans are intelligent voters and can vote on their own. Her only role, she said, was to provide the platform for the candidates to present themselves.

"Dito sa Pampanga, hindi command vote kasi intelihente ang mga botante dito. Hindi porke’t sinabi mo ito ang iboto, yun ang iboboto. So, hindi issue ang endorsement," Arroyo said.

"Kaming mga leader ng probinsya, ito ang nakikita kong papel naming, yung mga karapat-dapat at very qualified na dapat iboto ng taumbayan, ipakilala sa mga botante. Tapos sila ang magpapaliwanag at ang botante ang magdi-desisyon kung gusto ba nila ito," she added.

Arroyo said that one manifestation that Kapampangans are intelligent voters is their warm reception to the candidates they are hosting.

“Nakikita naman ninyo ang pagtanggap ng tao, nakikinig talaga [sila]. Kapag maganda ang sinasabi, nagpapalakpak," she said.

"So, ganun ka-intelihente ang botanteng Kapampangan. So, hindi endorsement ang kailangan kundi exposure para sila ang magdedesisyon,” she added.

Earlier, Arroyo said holding the campaign kick-off for senatorial bets allied with the administration was in recognition of the success of President Rodrigo Duterte in his presidential campaign in Pampanga in 2016.

"It's a recognition of the fact that in the last elections, the majority of Mayor Duterte's [votes] outside his bailiwick was in Pampanga. So we hope we can duplicate that," she said.

Arroyo also said she is giving her all out support to the campaign of the senators under the administration ticket, and she will go to campaign sorties with them "as needed." — MDM, GMA News