Presidential candidate Leni Robredo cast her vote in Camarines Sur Monday as supporters hope she defeats archrival Bongbong Marcos for a second time.
While behind Marcos in the surveys, Robredo is counting on a volunteer-driven campaign that has turned social media feeds and condominium lights pink for a repeat of her come-from-behind victory against the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s only son.
The vice president waited in line with other voters at Carangcang Elementary School in Magarao around 10 a.m. and cast her vote after almost two hours.
"Pumunta ako ngayon sa botohan na tahimik, panatag ang aking loob. Ang na-achieve natin during campaign was so much more than we expected," she told reporters after voting.
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The 57-year-old widow has endured years of "fake news" attacks that questioned her capabilities while portraying the Marcos years, marred by documented cases of corruption and human rights abuse, as the Philippines' golden age.
Celebrities joined volunteers in rallies and house-to-house campaigns to reverse the damage wrought by misinformation and trolling.
Robredo said the 2022 election is crucial as it would determine the direction of government in the next six years, with millions still reeling from the pandemic.
Should Robredo win, she would become the first president from Bicol and the third woman to hold the highest office in the land, after the late Cory Aquino and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is supporting Marcos Jr.
Should she lose, the former volunteer lawyer said she would go back to advocate for those in the margins of society.
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