Liberal Party Kicks Off National Campaign with Yellow Caravan

"Yellow" fever hit thousands of Bikolanos on Tuesday as yellow ribbons lined roads and highways in Camarines Sur as the campaign period for national positions officially started.

Clad in yellow shirts and donning streamers on their vehicles, hundreds of presidential aspirant Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's local supporters embarked on a day-long motorcade across the province's towns, ending in a political rally at Naga City's Plaza Quezon.

Tuesday officially marked the start of the campaign period for candidates running for national positions. Aquino and his running mate Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas III also held their own political rally after attending mass at Concepcion, Tarlac.

Bikolano supporters of Aquino and Roxas in Naga converged at the Liberal Party's volunteer center along Panganiban Drive before heading off for the municipalities of Camaligan, Magarao and Bombon in the morning. Stopping at municipal halls and key areas, Naga City Mayor Jesse M. Robredo and former Congressman James Jacob distributed flyers expressing support for the Liberal Party's standard-bearer and vice presidential candidate.

Local residents lined the roads and streets to catch a glimpse of the passing caravan as Aquino's radio advertisement blared from the motorcade's audio trucks. Schoolchildren also shouted "Noynoy!" and residents flashed "Laban" signs to the volunteers in a show of support for the Aquino-Roxas tandem.

Despite sporadic rain showers and the glaring heat of the sun, supporters distributed yellow flyers of Aquino and Roxas to eager townspeople. After leaving Camaligan town proper, the motorcade proceeded to Magarao municipal hall. The caravan then went on to Bombon, also stopping at the municipal hall. The motorcade then stopped for lunch at Calabanga church before heading back for Naga en route to Pili and Ocampo.

With volunteer motorcycle riders and members of Kabalikat Civicom assisting in traffic management, the caravan set out for Ocampo in the afternoon. The motorcade went as far as barangay Hanawan before heading back to the town proper where flyers were distributed to residents in behalf of Aquino and Roxas. The caravan also stopped in Pili at around four in the afternoon before proceeding back to Naga where around 40 or more vehicles were assembled and scheduled to join the caravan.

Dozens of vehicles converged in Barangay Del Rosario to await the yellow caravan before merging with the 20 or so vehicles. The larger motorcade then toured the city's barangays with candidates for city positions on board pick-up trucks flashing the Laban symbol and donning yellow shirts in support of the Aquino-Roxas tandem. Thousands of eager Nagueños lined the national highway and the city's streets to witness the yellow motorcade before the caravan headed to Plaza Quezon for a political rally meant to show support for the Liberal Party's standard bearer.

Technorati Tags: Bikol News News