In a typical election year, when candidates woo voters at events up and down the country of 7,107 islands, Robredo’s Mardi Gras-style reception would have been considered tame. But during a pandemic, when community lockdowns and rigid limits on mass gatherings are the new normal, organisers say the turnout exceeded their expectations.

Since the 1986 People Power protests and the restoration of democracy, elections for president and vice president have taken place every six years, with Filipinos also voting for 12 senators, more than 300 House members and about 18,000 local positions – from governors to town council members – in a circus-like political jamboree that lasts three months.