‘I’m fairly certain that the Vice President is keenly aware of the fork in the road ahead. The decision to run for the highest office in the country is a big one and should not be taken lightly, and perhaps it is best to leave her to her own process and discernment, without throwing these distractions her way.’
THAT statement from former senator Antonio Trillanes IV was a head scratcher, to say the least. It already made an assumption, based on information that was unspecified, that Vice President Leni Robredo is making preparations to run for the gubernatorial post in Camarines Sur, her home province. I suppose that the unspecified information had something to do with VP Robredo securing her national ID from Magarao, Camarines Sur and not from Naga City. (Naga City is an independent component city, dear millennials and fillennials, and does not vote for the position of governor in the province.)
To be able to run for governor of the province, she must move her residency to a town outside of Naga City, and to transfer her voter’s registration as well. Atty. Barry Gutierrez has been quite straightforward that VP Robredo has not transferred her registration, and remains a voter in Naga City.
I understand that those frustrated with the current dispensation are looking for a champion outside the coalition of the administration. It cannot be denied that VP Robredo is the logical choice, given her performance and the stark contrast she strikes compared to the allies of President Duterte (who are, by the way, already busy with going around on the stump, as they say). Presidential campaigns are rarely launched and won in such a short span of time, and we have officially breached the one-year mark to the national elections in 2022.
I also wonder how this particular development was communicated to VP Robredo, considering that she should be the only one making any announcement about her future political plans. Sure, Trillanes made it clear that he would give way to VP Robredo in case she changes her mind and runs for president, but hey, that didn’t take away the fact that the guy went ahead and announced her supposed plans as if it was already set in stone.
It’s good that VP Robredo has addressed this issue head-on, and rightfully so: she has, at least from my point of view, tried to concentrate on her efforts to help the pandemic response through the initiatives launched by her office. That’s not a bad position to take, in my opinion. The announcement made by Trillanes effectively cast her back in the political spotlight (which she has been trying to avoid) in order to spend time answering and parrying these questions. It again highlights the target on her back from overzealous fanatics who see it as their avowed service to their idol to continually pick at everything she does. Does that help? No, it does not.
I’m fairly certain that the Vice President is keenly aware of the fork in the road ahead. The decision to run for the highest office in the country is a big one and should not be taken lightly, and perhaps it is best to leave her to her own process and discernment, without throwing these distractions her way.
