Throwback: Leni-Kiko Campaign 2022

The Leni-Kiko campaign was one of the proudest moments of my life. This is where first felt that I am part of the nation. In this journey, I was full of hope, so full that I sacrificed so much (time, effort, money) to campaign for Leni Robredo, Kiko Pangilinan, and their senatorial slate, namely Chel Diokno, Sen. Pia Hontiveros, Sen. Leila De lima, Teddy Baguilat, Sonny Matula, Alex Lacson, Sonny Trillanes, + Neri Colminares. Even though we "lost" in the national elections, the fight for good governance still continues.

Here are some of my highlights of the pink campaign.

Taytay Unity Walk (February 8). This was the first campaign I attended, the first day of the campaign period. Counting the heads in our group picture, approximately we were less than 50 volunteers. Together with my childhood friends (Pat, Pearl, and Lester), we roam around Taytay's main plaza. I enjoyed this a lot, I also met Councilor Tobit Cruz, one of the progressive leaders in my town. Seeing the passion of the organizers and the participants especially the elderly inspired me to attend more campaigns in the future.

Taytay Unit Walk and Pink Rally (February 25). This was the second municipal-wide campaign, bigger and better. This time hundreds of volunteers showed up, this is the first time I saw the might of the youth of Taytay. In this mini rally, everyone is represented, from the working class, the youth, and the LGBTQIA+ community. I was able to take a picture with the Leni and Kiko standee with one of my best friends, Alcha. The rally lasted until night and ended with a song, Liwanag sa Dilim.

1Sambayan Rizal Mural Painting Activity (March 5). If there are happy memories, there are sad moments too during the campaign. In the picture, you can see the unfinished mural painting, only half of the wall was painted. In the middle of the event, we were told to stop the activity because there is a misunderstanding between the organizers and the property owner. In the end, we are instructed to repaint the wall in plain white and cover up everything that we painted. I already left the activity because I am so tired of working more than 3 hours and was frustrated that our hard work was wasted.

Tanay Walk for Leni (March 13). Tanay is one and a half hours away from Taytay. One of the many reasons why I attended the rally in spite of my hectic academic schedule is the attendance of Aika Robredo and Sonny Matula in the event. During Ate Aika's speech, she mentioned Riscians for Leni-Kiko and it was a super kilig moment. Moreover, this is the first time, members of Riscians for Leni -Kiko had a group photo. It was heartwarming to see my schoolmates fight for good governance and to know that many of us share the same values and aspirations for our country. I also met Jaggy, one of my batchmates #BestBatch17 , who was one of the active volunteers from Tanay Youth for Leni.

Cainta Pink Caucus and Walk for Leni (March 13). After going to Tanay, I went to Cainta in the afternoon. It was actually near to my home so I decided to go even though I was really tired from traveling plus I don't have enough sleep. I just joined the walk for Leni and I only spent 30 mins in the Pink Caucus. I met two of my batchmates, Nadinne and Pat, and Rogel, from Batch 20.

PasigLaban Rally - Pasig City (March 20). This is the historical rally in the whole campaign period, this was the first time that more than 137 000 people attended the rally. It was a crazy experience. We arrived at the venue in the early afternoon, the place was not that crowded, and I was able to get near the stage (about 100m near). There are so many free foods and drinks like ice cream, bread, cookies, and water, and free campaign materials like stickers, tarpaulins, shirts, fans, and light sticks. In the late afternoon (prevening), at about 4 to 5 o'clock massive groups of volunteers coming from different cities and provinces started to arrive. At that time, we were not able to go near the stage, we cannot see what was happening, we were just relying on the speakers. Everyone was dedicated to seeing Leni and listening to her speech so no one is leaving the venue until 8:00p pm. This was my first time hearing Leni's voice in person, it feels surreal.

One of the best things about this kind of big rally is that people are so united. When someone needs medical attention, everyone will chant "medic, medic" repeatedly so that the Medical team will hear it. Also, when people from far back cannot see the stage because of flags or umbrellas obstructing the view from the front, everyone will chant to call their attention.

One of the highlights of this event was this video. Ariana grande shared on her ig story a video from the campaign where everyone is singing her song Break Free performed by Minty Fresh, a Filipino drag queen.

Laetare Sunday Pink Mass (March 27). Together with Lester and Pat, we attended the Laetare Sunday Mass at St. John the Baptist Church.

LENIwanag ang Silangan - Rizal Province and Antipolo City (April 5). Now, It's our time to show off. Even though it was raining the whole day, Rizal was able to reach more than 40 000 attendees. At the near end of the program, one magical moment happened. When VP Leni was about to speak, the rain stopped, imagine it was raining non-stop from the morning. Divine intervention it is. I met so many familiar faces at the rally, especially my batchmates, I am so proud.

Araw Na10 'To People's Rally - Pasay City (April 23). I attended this rally alone. It was an impulsive decision. The night after the event, I decided to attend. So I went to my sister's condominium at 11:00 pm. I was so lucky that there was a jeep going to Cubao. I arrived at the venue in the afternoon, it was so crowded but I still made it to go near to the stage. Even though I have no one with me, I did not feel alone because everyone was so friendly. I wore my Laban UP Shirt because in this event we were encouraged to wear different colors of shirt, like blue, white, red, and yellow, to symbolize that every Filipino, no matter of their political color, is part of our campaign. I was so close to the main stage to the point that I was able to climb up and take a picture on the big LED screen. I saw Ben&Ben perform and Apo Hiking Society up close.

Leni-Kiko Miting De Avance - Makati City (May 7). This is the culmination of all the pink rallies. This was the last day of the campaign period and almost 1 000 000 people attended, that's six zeroes. As expected we were not able to see the main stage because of the huge crowd, but a small LED screen was near our location, so we are still able to watch the performances and the speeches. Another memorable experience was when we slept in the streets of Makati, we were stranded in the venue. We cannot book Grab or find any taxi or bus. There are private cars offering free rides but none of them could accommodate the five of us. We wait until morning for the bus, we ride the EDSA carousel, which was free, to SM Megamall and ride a Van going to Floodway. It was tiring but all worth it.