Puerto Princesa City mayoral aspirant Peter “Jimbo” Maristela and his line-up for city councilors kicked off their campaign on Friday, with an estimated 1,000 supporters in attendance.
His campaign started with a mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral at 7 a.m., followed by a motorcade that passed through the city’s main roads. Some supporters showed up at the cathedral as early as 6 a.m. clad in orange and white shirts.
Maristela who is on his final term as councilor said he did not expect the high number of supporters to show up. His campaign team invited mostly tricycle drivers, as he is the transport committee chairperson in the City Council.
“Tayo ay labis na nagpapasalamat sa mga pumunta. Limited lang sana ang bilang ng mga tricycle na pupunta, nasa 200-300 ang inimbita namin pero kusang-loob na pumunta ang iba. Sa motor naman, expected lang namin na 150 lang, dumoble,” he said in an interview.
The motorcade began at around 8:30AM, with personnel from the City Traffic Management Office (CTMO) escorting the crowd.
Maristela’s lineup for city councilors consists of mostly newcomers, with only one candidate, Barangay Kalipay captain Cheryl “Ching” Cuyos, as a member of his ticket.