[PODCAST] Beyond the Stories: Leni Robredo at ang oposisyon sa halalan 2022

Subscribe to Newsbreak: Beyond the Stories podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Anchor.

Nakipagkita raw si Vice President Leni Robredo kay Senador Ping Lacson. Nakikipag-usap din siya umano kay Manila Mayor Isko Moreno. Bukas din siyang marinig si Senador Manny Pacquiao.

Sa episode na ito, pag-uusapan nina Rappler reporter Mara Cepeda, managing editor Chay Hofileña, at researcher-writer Jodesz Gavilan kung ano ang pakay ni Robredo sa pakikipag-usap sa mga politikong pumuposisyong tumakbo sa pagkapangulo sa 2022.

Sinusundan ni Cepeda ang Office of the Vice President at Senado, samantalang co-author naman si Hofileña ng ilang libro tungkol sa eleksiyon.

Ano ang posibleng isyu sa hindi pa rin pag-anunsyo ni Robredo? Ayon kay Cepeda:

I think what the worst case scenario is, the VP will declare that she will run for president, she’s losing precious time. Kasi if she’s more decided, then perhaps there would be more active effort on her part, not just her supporters, to really try to rally the forces, the troops on the ground or at least what’s left of the Liberal Party, and to rally chapters ng LP na recently they’re able to form despite the attacks and the threats against the party. There’s also [the possibility] na she might lose potential donors. We’ve been told there are possible funders who have approached… but then all they can say is she has not yet decided…. So some of them would supposedly tell them to okay get back to me when she has decided… The longer that the vice president would wait might also turn off their supporters, or ang supporters niya nawawala na ang pagka-solid Leni dahil sa dilly-dallying. That’s going to be a nightmare for her kasi natatapyasan ang base mo and you’re up against the Duterte machinery.

Para naman kay Hofileña, dapat tignan ng oposisyon ang lakas ng posibleng kandidato ng administrasyon:

Kung titignan mo, ang question for 2022 is a choice between continuity, ipagpapatuloy ba iyong ginagawa ni Duterte ngayon, iyong nararanasan nating kagalingan during this pandemic? Kaya pa ba natin iyon? Sige, pagpatuloy natin. Or magkaroon ng pagbabago, change, magkaroon ng shift ng policy? If you look at major issues na lagi nating pinaguusapan under this administration: Extrajudicial killings, human rights, corruption… Nandyan din ang tanong ng China and human rights. Ipagpapatuloy ba natin? Status quo ba sa susunod na pangulo o we put a stop to this and choose somebody else? Continuity or change. Tapos kung titignan natin ang pagpapalian, sabi nila… kung mas konti ang choices, mas malaki ang chances na magkaroon ng isang candidate. If it’s going to be a 5-way fight, mahirap. If you look at the surveys, parang ang malakas so far, consistently, si Sara [Duterte], syempre si Isko [Moreno], si [Manny] Pacquiao parang nasa 3 or 4… Alam niyo ang kailangan bantayan? Si Bongbong Marcos dahil medyo tahimik siya. But if magkaroon ng alliance si Sara at Bongbong, imagine that’s north and south. Ang lakas noon. Kung i-anticipate mo iyon, kung ikaw ang opposition, mas ramdam mo ang urgency na hindi pwedeng tatlo tayo or dalawa tayo, dapat iisa lang. Kasi napakalakas ng kalaban. If that’s not compulsion enough, if that’s not pressure enough, matatalo talaga ang opposition.

Bakit nga ba mahalagang may united opposition ticket sa eleksiyon?

Pakinggan at panoorin ang diskusyon: