Also tells opposition to examine self
THE opposition needs to recognize that it is the not only one that can lead the country, and to understand why people are attracted to politicians like President Duterte and his brand of leadership, Vice President Leni Robredo said yesterday.
“Hindi puwedeng sabihin… na tayo lang iyong magaling. Tayo lang … iyong matino. (We can’t say… that we’re the only ones who have the ability to lead. That we are the only ones … who are upright),” Robredo said during her weekly radio program on RMN.
She made the statement after being named one of the initial six nominees for president of the 1Sambayan coalition which is led by retired Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio, former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, and former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario.
Aside from Robredo, the other 1Sambayan nominees for president and vice president are Sen. Grace Poe, deputy speakers Vilma Santos-Recto and Eddie Villanueva, former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno. Four of them — Poe, Recto, Villanueva, and Diokno — have declined 1Sambayan’s nomination.
Robredo, the chair of the Liberal Party, challenged 1Sambayan to be all-inclusive by listening to everyone, including people who remain supportive of the Duterte administration, to be able to understand why they prefer his kind of leadership.
“We can’t say, ‘I want unity but I only want you.’ It’s not like that, right? There are supporters who say, ‘It’s only you or some other candidate and no one else. If that’s our mindset, we won’t be united),” she said in Filipino.
Robredo said the opposition and its supporters have to unite the nation in the run-up to the 2022 national elections but it can be done only by understanding why many voters prefer Duterte’s style instead of alienating them.
She said people have to understand that the country is in its current state because the President was the one “who gave rise to this kind of political situation.”
“Ipaparating ko rin sa ating supporters, na hindi puwedeng tayo-tayo lang (I’m letting it known to our supporters that we can’t do it alone),” she said.
Robredo said she has made it clear to 1Sambayan that unity can be achieved only by listening to the points of view of others whose political principles “are different from ours.”
“Iyong unity, hindi iyon unity ng mga pareho na ng paniniwala pero pagbibigay iyon ng espasyo para sa iba na iba iyong paniniwala sa atin (Unity is not unity only among those with the same beliefs but giving space to those with different views,” she said.
The Vice President has yet to decide if she will be gunning for the country’s top post or will seek a lower post, like running for governor of Camarines Sur or joining the congressional race. She is also considering not joining the next elections.
“Iyong presidency, isa lang iyon sa mga options. May option na hindi na tumakbo. May option na tumakbong lokal. Pero dapat kasi lagi tayong bukas. Dapat lagi tayong bukas, at dapat mayroon tayong espasyo para pakinggan iyong iba. Kasi kung sarado tayo, walang mangyayari (The presidency is just one of the options. I have the option not to run. I have the option to run for a local post. We always have to be open and we should always have the space to listen to others),” Robredo said.
Rep. Edcel Lagman (LP, Albay), the leader of the opposition at the House, said having many nominees for president “does not project and encourage unity against the Duterte forces.”
He said Robredo remains “the most logical, qualified, viable, and winnable choice as the opposition’s standard bearer.”
Lagman said Robredo is the highest elected official in the ranks of the opposition, who is a heartbeat away from the presidency.
He said she has an “enviable” track record of winning the second highest national position, a feat which shattered pollsters’ predictions and has a “compassionate demeanor is in direct contrast to the repressive machinations of Duterte.”
Lagman also said Robredo’s “effective and singular performance during the continuing onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic exposes the errant and failed response to the contagion of President Duterte.”
Lastly, he said “her enduring adherence to constitutionalism and the rule of law is the direct opposite to Duterte’s repeated violations of the Constitution on due process, human rights, and press freedom, among others.”
