Thread by @cnnphilippines

Three presidential candidates came together on Easter Sunday to announce in a press conference that no way were they going to withdraw from the race.

What now and what next? What unity versus the UniTeam?

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@piahontiveros Gilbert Lauengco, head of Isko Moreno's Volunteers Group, on Easter presscon of some presidential bets: Its primary purpose was very simple and straightforward. It was a response to repeated and increasing calls for all the candidates there to withdraw in favor of one candidate.

Lauengco: They wanted to make it official, united front to once and for all stop the speculations.

#TheFilipinoVotes

https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines/status/1515646127001190402

Buddy Zamora, campaign manager of Senator Manny Pacquiao: We were surprised that there's going to be a presscon. We were aware that Senator Pacquiao had said yes, so he was really on his way from Gensan to Manila to attend the affair.

#TheFilipinoVotes

Zamora: Pacquiao was really on his way from Gen San to Manila to attend, but they were forced to go around for almost an hour in the air. Upon landing, there was also a delay.

Zamora on Moreno's statement urging VP Leni Robredo to back out from the race: We do not agree on calling anybody to withdraw.

Atty. Barry Gutierrez, spokesperson of VP Leni Robredo: Our position has always been that our focus is on our own campaign, on what we need to do in the remaining three weeks until election day.

#TheFilipinoVotes

Lauengco on the joint presscon: This feeling has always been there with our candidate (Moreno). It started when Madam VP filed her COC, #WithdrawIsko started, and it was increasing in the past few days. Sabi niya, "Bakit ako ang pinapa-withdraw niyo? Ikaw ang mag-withdraw."

Lauengco on Moreno: He's very transparent, he will tell you what he feels at the particular moment. That's who he is.

Pacquiao's campaign manager Zamora: We have always been on friendly terms with the VP.

VP Robredo's spox Atty. Gutierrez: Unlike other candidates, a call for us to withdraw is something we will simply ignore. We will proceed with our own campaign. We are adults after all. We don't feel a need to call a press conference.

VP Robredo's spox Atty. Gutierrez: There is only one person named who supposedly actually asked for a meeting with any of the candidates present there on the Easter Sunday presscon. We already clarified that person was not authorized to speak for the (Robredo) campaign.

VP Robredo's spox Atty. Gutierrez: The fact of the matter is there have been no conversations, at least actively pursued by the campaign, since October of last year.

Lauengco, head of Moreno's volunteers group: We made a study and found that if we withdrew, majority of our votes will go to BBM. Around 80%. We made the study a few months ago, and then around two weeks ago. Pareho pa rin (results).

Lauengco, head of Moreno's volunteers group, says VP Robredo's gender has nothing to do with the Easter Sunday presscon: With due respect, that was never an issue with our candidate. If Sen. Marcos was the one who asked him to withdraw, he would have been saying the same thing.

VP Robredo's spox Atty. Gutierrez: Our strategy really at this point is just to continue on. The recent surveys have been very encouraging. Her numbers continue to go up.

VP Robredo's spox Atty. Gutierrez: I think one thing we have to factor in is the unprecedented level of support coming from volunteers. I think this is something new to elections. I have personally never seen this level of volunteer engagement in any other national campaign.

VP Robredo's spox Atty. Gutierrez: We think that the house-to-house campaign, the efforts by volunteers at the grassroots level within their networks, on election day, that will translate into votes. We will still going to win this come election day.

VP Robredo's spox Atty. Gutierrez: If you look at different surveys, they will tell you different things about second preference of voters... Besides, in recent surveys, it is VP Leni who have gained the most, which shows people are shifting to her.

Pacquiao's campaign manager Zamora: We're just about 19 days from election day. Let's just wait for the results. The ultimate survey is on May 9.

#TheFilipinoVotes

Pacquiao's campaign manager Zamora: For our part, we'll just continue doing what we've been doing, relying on our grassroots campaign, also on our libreng pabahay program, and we're also relying on our religious sector group support to carry us through.

Pacquiao's campaign manager Zamora: We're just about 19 days from election day. Let's just wait for the results. The ultimate survey is on May 9.

Pacquiao's campaign manager Zamora: For our part, we'll just continue doing what we've been doing, relying on our grassroots campaign, also on our libreng pabahay program, and we're also relying on our religious sector group support to carry us through.

VP Robredo's spox Atty. Gutierrez on claim that there will be instability if Robredo loses the elections: They were responding to a supposed quote that was completely fabricated, something the VP never said.

VP Robredo's spox Atty. Gutierrez: Like all our other candidates, we are committed to having an orderly, honest, clean elections -- that hopefully, the results will be clear and uncontested.

VP Robredo's spox Atty. Gutierrez: Rest assured, if there's going to be trouble here, it's not going to come from our camp. To suggest otherwise is, I think, the height of irresponsibility.

VP Robredo's spox Atty. Gutierrez: In case VP Robredo loses, so long as the elections are credible and honest, then clearly, we won't be the ones to start anything here. We should respect the results because that's how democracy works.

Pacquiao's campaign manager Zamora says his "fearless prediction" is that the elections will proceed without any of the presidential candidates dropping out of the race.

Pacquiao's campaign manager Zamora: What we're hoping for is we will be the dark horse.

VP Robredo's spox Atty. Gutierrez: With 20 days left, I think the momentum is ours, and the surveys actually indicate that. Her numbers are on the upswing.

Lauengco, head of Moreno's volunteers group: We feel there is still a large majority, those caught in between (Marcos and Robredo), and we're banking on that. We still feel we have a chance to win.