JE C.C.
In a surprising turn of events, Isko Domagoso’s volunteer group, IM Pilipinas, declared on April 12 their withdrawal of support from the Manila Mayor to formally announce their shift to Vice President Leni Robredo.
The ‘Switch to Isko’ movement comes to a halt, at least for the first volunteer group that previously pushed for a Domagoso presidency, IM (Ikaw Muna) Pilipinas Movement.
The group declared their ‘Big Switch’ from Manila Mayor Isko Domagoso to Vice President Leni Robredo at a press conference they held.
Earlier, regional groups such as IM Pilipinas Movement Zamboanga Chapter already announced their switch to VP Robredo, citing Domagoso’s slimmer chance of beating Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. in the May 9 polls.
The group, however, does not carry Robredo’s running-mate, Senator Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan, as they are pushing for a Leni Robredo-Sara Duterte a.k.a. RoSa tandem.
The Visayas Chapter of the group also made a similar shift a day earlier.
The national headquarters of IM Pilipinas officially announced its flip to Robredo. Led by its national leader, former Transportation undersecretary Tim Orbos and its Secretary-General Elmer Ardaño, the group explained why they had to shift [barely] a month before the elections.
LOOK: Isko Moreno volunteer group IM Pilipinas changes their name to IM Leni. They are about to hold press conference formally announcing the switch. #WeDecide #PHVote @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/BuvvzIX4sC
— Pia Ranada (@piaranada) April 12, 2022
“Are we that opportunist? No, we are not. If so, we would go with Bongbong, because he’s a sure win. This is still an uphill battle, we don’t know if we will make it to victory but we’d rather bet on someone who, in all trajectories, the pattern, the sentiment, they’re all leaning towards the Vice President,” Orbos told Rappler.
Orbos also explained that the switch was necessary because time is running. They also noted both Domagoso’s meager opinion poll numbers and VP Robredo’s strengthening momentum.
The group previously called for Domagoso to withdraw. The group practically provided the limbs for Domagoso’s presidential bid, as they are among the first groups to mobilize efforts that push for the Manila Mayor’s candidacy.
IM Pilipinas is said to have more than 800,000 members.
