DAVAO CITY, Philippines?The city literally turned yellow on Friday as residents and officials welcomed Liberal Party standard-bearer Senator Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III and his running mate, Senator Manuel "Mar" Roxas.

Aquino and Roxas came for the proclamation rally of the Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod, the local party headed by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Before the proclamation rally at the Freedom Park here, Aquino and Roxas joined Duterte and his daughter Sara on a three-hour motorcade.

Yellow ribbons and people wearing yellow shirts dotted the streets to the delight of Aquino.

People chanted ?Noynoy and Mar? as the two LP candidates waved to them.

The motorcade caused a monstrous traffic jam, however.

Duterte, holding a microphone, was apologetic.

?I am sorry this caused so much traffic jam,? he said over a loud speaker as jeepneys and motorcycles inched toward their destination.

Yellow confetti rained down when the motorcade reached the Ateneo de Davao University on Roxas Avenue.

At the Marco Polo Hotel, they were met by the city?s business leaders.

At the meeting, Aquino underscored the importance of dreaming for a better life.

?When was the last time you dreamed and hoped that your dream will come true at a given time? I, too, have ceased from dreaming because of the current system that we have. But let us dream again as we can dream again and together let us make our dreams come true,? he said.

Aquino said one of the items on the agenda of his administration is to create a balance between business and labor, creating jobs which ?will empower the citizens to transform the Philippines as a prosperous and just society.?

?The administration will be friendly to business while protecting the rights of labor. We believe that one of the root causes of the problems of the country is the loss of faith of the people in the system.? That, we will change,? he said.

Simeon Marfori, president of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc., said Aquino?s party showed ?nobility of intention? to remedy the problems of the country.

?We know of these remedies already but it is only through them that we see these remedies being implemented because of their noble intentions,? Marfori said. ?It is important that they win because the solutions are clear to them and they have the purity of the intention that we need now. Galing and Talino and Sipag at Tiyaga can be employed, but integrity you cannot. Mahirap tapatan ang humility ni Noynoy.?

During the rally at Freedom Park, attended by some 10,000 yellow clad people, Duterte also officially endorsed Aquino and Roxas.

?Because they are persons of principle and integrity, the country needs persons like them. We have had economists and we have even tried an actor but these two are persons who have principle and integrity. It is for that reason that we are supporting them, period,? Duterte said.

Duterte?s daughter, Sara, who is running for mayor, recounted a meeting with Aquino and Roxas in December where the two senators asked her for support.

She said that support was now very obvious.

The sight of the yellow color prompted Roxas to proclaim the city as ?official Noynoy Country.?

?When we were having the motorcade, we saw Dabawenyos on the streets, waving at us, flashing the Laban sign. It only goes to show that all of us want change and that we want it now,? Roxas said in his speech.

Change, Roxas said, is achievable for the Filipinos now and the opportunity to effect change is ?just a few sleeps away.?

?On election day, we will decide on our fate. That would be our chance to choose what kind of future we want for our children. That would be our chance to defeat evil and wickedness in this country,? he said.

Aquino said ?bathing in a sea of garbage? was not needed for the country to move forward.

He also likened the official color of Manny Villar?s campaign to the sunset.

?What color do you see when the sun is up?? he asked, to which the crowd answered ?yellow.?

?And when the sun goes down, the sky is colored orange. Ngayon alam nyo na kung sino ang aangat at sino ang lulubog?. Klaro po sa amin na kami ang mukha ng laban ng mga Filipino (Now you know who is rising and who is going down.... It is clear to us that we are the face of the Filipinos? struggle),? Aquino said.