Leni Robredo: Reluctant politician in the VP race

A widow, a single mother, a reluctant politician now thrust into the national limelight. Will Leni Robredo’s sacrifice pay off?

Bea Cupin reports.

It was an offer that was both easy – and difficult – to refuse.

After weeks of soul-searching and agonizing Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo says she’s ready to accept the challenge to run for vice president.

LENI ROBREDO, VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Buong puso, buong pananampalataya at buong tapat ko pong tinatanggap ang hamon na tumakbo bilang pangalawang pangulo ni Secretary Mar Roxas. Ibinibigay ko po ang aking sarili ng buong buo sa ating mga kababayan lalung-lalo na sa mga naka tsinelas na nasa labas, nasa ibaba at nasa laylayan ng lipunan. Maraming maraming salamat po.

(I accept the challenge to run as Secretary Mar Roxas’ vice president with full conviction, faith and honesty. I fully offer myself to our country men, especially to those who are in the gutter, to those who are at the bottom of our society. Thank you very much.)

The Roxas-Robredo ticket is announced less than two weeks before the filing of candidacies and more than two months after Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas declares his bid for the presidency.

It was not an easy decision to make for Robredo, wife of the late interior secretary and Naga City mayor Jesse Robredo.

Her children were initially against the idea.

Robredo was worried about her district and insisted she was too much a newbie for the task ahead.

LENI ROBREDO, VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Sa amin pong mga agam-agam, tinatanong po namin ng aking mga anak kung ano kaya ang gagawin ni Jesse kung siya ang nalalagay sa ganitong pagsubok. Kung nahaharap po siya sa tanong na kung bayan o sarili, malinaw po sa aming mag-iina kung ano ang magiging sagot niya.

(While we were deciding, we would always wonder what Jesse would have done had found himself in this situation. If Jessie is made to choose between country or self, me and my daughters know what his answer would be.)

Roxas, a close friend and ally of Jesse, turns emotional as he recalls the many sacrifices the Robredo family made.

Jesse Robredo was local chief executive for many years and was interior secretary when the plane he was riding crashed off the coast of Masbate in 2012.

MAR ROXAS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Marami nang hiniling ang Daang Matuwid sa iyo. Bilang maybahay, hiningi nito ang panahon ni Sec. Jesse. Nang pumanaw siya, hiniling ng Daang Matuwid na maging tulay ka sa pagkakaisa ng iyong distrito. Alam naming hindi mo inambisyon ito, at lalong hindi mo inambisyon na maging Bise Presidente ng bansa. Pero kailangan ka ng Daang Matuwid; kailangan ka ng ating mga Boss

(Daang Matuwid has asked so much from you. As a wife, it consumed Sec Jesse’s time. When he died, Daang Matuwid called on you to unit your district. We know that this was never what you wanted, you never aspired to be vice president of the country. But Daang Matuwid needs you. Our bosses need you.

President Benigno Aquino III himself tells Robredo’s 3 daughters: sorry for putting you in this position.

BENIGNO AQUINO III, PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT:Aika, Tricia, Jillian, sana mapatawad niyo ako

LP stalwarts have long called on Robredo to run alongside Roxas for the national elections.

Their tandem, if the ruling party is to be believed, would best embody their 2016 campaign promise: of continuity and certainty that with them, the “daang matuwid” or the gains of the current administration continues.

Now that he has a running-mate, Roxas says that in the following weeks, the LP-led coalition will flesh out their platform.

But even as that happens, the Liberal Party will have to figure out how to boost Robredo’s survey ratings.

The latest vice presidential preference polls place her at 10th.

BEA CUPIN, REPORTING: If Roxas’ declaration was about readiness and the right time, Robredo’s centers on sacrifice. A widow, a single mother, a reluctant politician now thrust into the national limelight. Will the sacrifice pay off? And can daang matuwid win an election? We find out in 7 months.

Bea Cupin, Rappler, Manila. – Rappler.com