MANILA, Philippines – It was announced on April 27 that House Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta has withdrawn from the senatorial race, and that Sen. Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri has been dropped from the senatorial slate of Vice President Leni Robredo.
Marcoleta cited his “poor” ratings in pre-election surveys as the reason for his quitting from the senatorial bid this year.
“The fighter in me should also be brave enough to read the writings on the wall,” Marcoleta said.
“I will be indebted forever to several people who chipped in their resources, time and tons of hardwork into my memorable campaign. I thank the hundreds of parallel support groups and thousands of volunteers who believed in my advocacies and the measures that must be pursued for the common good. I just hope that they will all be so kind and accommodating enough to understand,” he said.
The house deputy speaker also expressed gratitude to the political parties that included him in their senatorial lineup: Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), People’s Reform Party, and UniTeam.
However, Marcoleta is still obligated to submit to the Comelec his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) like all the other candidates.
Meanwhile, Leni Robredo’s spokesperson, Atty. Barry Gutierrez, also announced on April 27 that Senator Migz Zubiri has been officially removed from the Leni-Kiko Senate Slate.
This move by the Leni-Kiko camp came after Zubiri and his father Governor Joe Zubiri openly endorsed Bongbong Marcos late in March when Marcos visited Malaybalay, Bukidnon for his campaign sortie.
Gutierrez said that this public expression of support violates the agreement among all guest candidates of the Leni-Kiko senatorial line-up.
“With 12 days remaining before elections, we are moving forward with our 11-candidate Senate slate,” Gutierrez stated.