Hugpong ng Pagbabago sets final campaign stop in Duterte's hometown Davao City

Administration coalition Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) will hold its miting de avance or final campaign stop in Davao City, the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Sara Duterte, daughter of the president and HNP campaign manager, made the announcement as the HNP winds down its election campaign.  Prior to the Davao rally, the last four provinces that will be visited by the administration coalition are Palawan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Camiguin.

“I am very happy na patapos na ang campaign. Itong apat [na probinsiya] na lang," Sara said.

"Yung mga HNP senators, sinasabihan namin sila na balikan ang mga areas kung saan sila mahina, mag-campaign sila ulit doon, kung pwede person-to-person campaign nila and then we will see each other again sa May 9 sa Davao City, final rally na 'yun,” Sara told reporters on the sidelines of the campaign stop in Bukidnon on Tuesday.

Of the last four campaign stops, it was only in Palawan where then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte lost in the 2016 presidential race. He only finished third in Palawan with over 104,000 votes behind Senator Grace Poe (126,000) and former Interior and Local Government chief Manuel “Mar” Roxas II (168,000).

While Mr. Duterte won in Camiguin in 2016 with over 35,000 votes as against Roxas' 11,000 votes , he has accused known Camiguin's political family Romualdos of barring his team from conducting a campaign rally there in March 2016.

As for the HNP bets, Sara said that the person-to-person campaign and reaching out to HNP allies should be accompanied with campaign ads on television.

“Every vote counts,” Sara added.

Sara had said that getting all the 12 Senate seats would be as good as reaching for the stars.

“In reality, parang impossible ang 12. [Pero] hopeful kami na makakuha ng majority,” she added. —LDF, GMA News