MANILA, Philippines – It may have been an “unconventional” decision to join the cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte but Vice President Leni Robredo had no doubts accepting the position offered her.

The offer came at the most perfect time for her, she said. Duterte asked her to be his housing chief on July 7 – the same date her late husband, Jesse Robredo, was offered to be the Aquino administration’s interior secretary 6 years ago.

In addition to the seemingly serendipitous event, Robredo said housing was also her husband’s “biggest advocacy.”

“You might have seen how unconventional to join the Cabinet was. Pero again, parang sa akin, iyong during that phone call, it was a brief phone call, parang noong binaba ko ang telepono, parang binalikan ko iyong each and everywhere that was exchanged between us and I just said na the offer, parang ano siya, full circle for both Jesse and me,” Robredo said in a speech at the Ateneo De Manila University.

(You might have seen how unconventional to join the Cabinet was. But again, for me, during that brief phone call, when I put it down, I looked back and I just said that the offer is full circle for both Jesse and me.) 

“Parang when people ask me, nagpaparamdam ba sa iyo si Jesse? Sabi ko, ay naku, kapag nagsabi akong oo, again it’s the understatement of the year kapag nagsabi ako na nagpaparamdam,” she added.

(So when people ask me, does Jesse make his presence felt to you? I tell them, If I say yes, again it’s the understatement of the year.)

Unsolicited advice

She may be the 2nd highest official in the country but Robredo is still new to politics. How, then, does she deal with unsolicited advice?

“Sometimes you get affected, sometimes you are thankful. Most of the times you are thankful pero I go by my instinct always. Kasi tingin ko naman ang instincts, iyon ang will of the Lord eh. Iyon ang guidance (Because I think instincts are part of the will of the Lord. That’s the guidance),” she said.

With her experiences in life and politics, Robredo said she believes in the saying that everything happens for a reason.

Case in point, she said, was her appointment to the Duterte Cabinet – something that seemed unlikely just a few weeks ago. In fact, the Vice President said she was already preparing to work alone and without any Cabinet position.

Robredo, in an apparent concession, already told her team to just let go of the “ambition” to help the housing sector, as they could not do it without the government’s help.

“And then, this offer came. So iyon na ang gap di ba (So that was the gap, right)? Who would have thought na parang iyong kulang doon sa (that the gap in the) advocacy of the Office of the Vice President was housing and then I was given the housing portfolio so really, gifts come in the most mysterious ways,” Robredo said.

“Maraming ring nag-ooppose, maraming ring ano, pero di ba? Parang you will only tell yourself, kung hindi ito para sa akin siguro hindi naman dapat ginawa ang offer. Because I was prepared not to have any Cabinet post,” she said.

(Many opposed, right? But you will only tell yourself, if this isn’t meant for me this would not be offered. Because I was prepared not to have any Cabinet post.)

Robredo is set to attend her first Cabinet meeting on Monday, July 11, a day before a United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal rules on the Philippines’ case against China in the West Philippine Sea. – Rappler.com