MANILA – Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso has called on Vice President Leni Robredo to make the “ultimate sacrifice” and withdraw from the presidential race.

Domagoso made the call during a press conference held at The Peninsula Manila in Makati City on Sunday.

“If they’re calling for supreme sacrifice, di ba the yellow pink is calling for supreme sacrifice katulad nung sinasabi ni Sec. Norberto Gonzales, when somebody talked to him. Eh di ang pinaka (the most) supreme sacrifice if you’re not a good player to win then you pay the supreme sacrifice you withdraw. Withdraw, be a hero,” Domagoso told Robredo.

He said this is the same call posed by the Robredo camp to him, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, and Senator Manny Pacquiao.

He added that the Robredo camp cannot convince them to withdraw from the race, so, it is attempting to “buy” their supporters.

“Pero teka muna, sobra naman ang pambabastos sa amin, binibili yung mga tao ni Sen. Ping, binibili mga tao namin, hinuhubaran kami. Asan ba dun yung sinasabi na disente kayo? Parang kayo lang ang mapupunta sa langit (But wait, it’s too much insult to us, they are buying the people of Sen. Ping, they are buying our people, they are stripping us? Where is your decency that they are talking about? It seems like you are the only ones going to heaven),” Domagoso said.

He claimed that the reason former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is consistently leading in the presidential surveys could be that people hate both the “yellow” and “pink” camp.

He added that Robredo changed her campaign color from yellow to pink precisely because her camp knows that many people no longer go for yellow, which is associated with the camp of the late former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

“Gusto nyo bang hindi manalo si Marcos? Withdraw Leni, baka me isang manalo. Siya kasi yung busal eh (Do you want Marcos to lose? Withdraw Leni, maybe one of us will win against him. She is the hindrance),” he added.

The three candidates reminded the electorate that there are other candidates aside from Marcos and Robredo from whom they can choose.

Meanwhile, Lacson clarified that he and his vice-presidential candidate Tito Sotto are not calling for any contender to withdraw from the electoral race.

“We have to clarify, kaming dalawa ni Senate president, precisely sa press con na ito, we’re not asking anybody to withdraw, ayaw din namin na mananawagan sila na mag-withdraw kami in the same manner. Sa amin, walang mag-withdraw dapat in the same manner na hindi kami mananawagan na me mag-withdraw (me and the Senate president, we are not calling for anybody to withdraw, for us, nobody should withdraw. We don’t want them to call on us to withdraw in the same manner that we are not calling for anyone to withdraw),” he said. (PNA)