TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines ( The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – President Benigno Aquino III said Filipinos should not decide on their presidential candidate based merely on popularity as suggested by ratings in preferential surveys.

“Ang dapat poe yatang tanong e: “Sino ang iboboto, sino ba ang dapat manalo?’ Hindi ‘yung popular, ‘yun na iboto natin,” Aquino said as he campaigned for administration candidates Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan Monday.
(The appropriate question is: “Who are we going to vote for, who deserves to win? We should not vote based on popularity.”)

Aquino added:

“Huwag poe nating gawing biro-biro ‘yung darating na halalan sa Lunes. Hindi pwede ‘yung baka sakaling tumutoo ‘yung mga kalaban ni Mar Roxas. Baka sakaling alam nila ang ginagawa nila, baka sakaling tama sila. E bakit poe tayo magbabaka[sakali] kung may sigurado naman, ” he said. (Let us not make Monday’s election a joke. We can’t choose Mar Roxas’ opponents in the hope that by chance they might be real. That by chance they might know what they’re doing, in case they’re right.  So why take the chance when we know we have candidates who are sure and know what  they’re doing.)

Aquino, although he has anointed Roxas to be his successor, has long been rumored to be secretly campaining for Senator Grace Poe.

Well, we guess it’s secret no more…