Face-off with Sara Duterte in 2022? Robredo ‘still busy’ being VP

Mara Cepeda

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Face-off with Sara Duterte in 2022? Robredo ‘still busy’ being VP
Asked about a possible showdown with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte in the 2022 presidential election, Vice President Leni Robredo says she is focused on her current duties

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo is still not considering running for president in 2022, let alone going head-to-head with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

Robredo was asked by reporters on Monday, February 18, if a “Robredo versus Sara Duterte” scenario is possible in the 2022 presidential election.

This comes after President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter said she would decide on a possible presidential bid by January 2021.

“Iyong sa akin lang, magiging masama para sa akin kung ang iisipin ko 2022, kasi ang dami kong ginagawa bilang Pangalawang Pangulo. Mayroon akong Angat Buhay,” Robredo said on the sidelines of a meeting with sectoral representatives in San Fernando City, Pampanga.

(For me, it would be bad if I would think about 2022, since I’m still busy doing so many things as Vice President. I have Angat Buhay.)

She said that if she were to think about running for president now, it would require her to visit vote-rich areas.

The Vice President said this would hurt her efforts in Angat Buhay, her flagship anti-poverty program that links private companies and non-governmental organizations with local government units to help provide residents with livelihood and other social services.

“Hindi ko na mapupuntahan iyong mga adopted communities namin, kasi iyong mga adopted communities namin, kadalasan ito iyong farthest, ang dami ditong hindi botante. Ito iyong mga kulang ng political awareness, pero nangangailangan ng tulong,” said Robredo.

(I wouldn’t be able to visit our adopted communities, because these are usually in the farthest areas and do not have a lot of voters. These are the people who lack political awareness, but need help.)

“Kapag ang iniisip ko na iyong pagkakandidato ko, tapos na itong lahat. Parang mawawala iyong Angat Buhay,” she added.

(If I think about my candidacy, it would all be over. It’s like Angat Buhay would disappear.)

For Robredo, becoming president of the Philippines is a matter of “destiny.”

“Iyong pagiging pangulo, destiny iyon. Iyong kasaysayan natin, nagpapakita na hindi ito napapaghandaan. Maraming nagbalak, pero kapag para sa iyo ito, magiging sa iyo; kapag hindi talaga ito para sa iyo, kahit ano’ng gawin mo, hindi sa iyo ibibigay,” said the Vice President.

(For me, becoming president is all about destiny. Our history has shown that it is not something you prepare for. Many have aspired for it, but if it’s for you, it will be yours; if it isn’t, no matter how hard you try, it will not be given to you.)

Robredo was a reluctant vice presidential bet in 2016, only agreeing to be the running mate of Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas less than two weeks before the filing of certificates of candidacy then.

Starting with awareness ratings as low as 1%, Robredo pulled off a come-from-behind victory in the May 2016 polls, besting 5 incumbent senators who were more popular. (READ: Robredo asks Bicolanos: Do for Otso Diretso what you did for me in 2016)

The Vice President was first thrust into the national spotlight after her husband, the late interior secretary Jesse Robredo, died in a plane crash in 2012.

Robredo then ran and won for Camarines Sur 3rd District congresswoman the year after her husband’s death. – Rappler.com

 

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Mara Cepeda

Mara Cepeda specializes in stories about politics and local governance. She covers the Office of the Vice President, the Senate, and the Philippine opposition. She is a 2021 fellow of the Asia Journalism Fellowship and the Reham al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship of the UN. Got tips? Email her at mara.cepeda@rappler.com or tweet @maracepeda.