Says exploratory meeting part of unification moves
VICE President Leni Robredo yesterday said she has held exploratory talks with Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao as part of her efforts to forge a unified opposition ticket against the administration bet in the 2022 general elections.
Interviewed on “The Source” at CNN Philippines, the opposition leader said she was the one who reached out to Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, leader of a faction in the ruling PDP-Laban party, has not made any official announcement but is widely known to be eyeing the presidency next year.
Robredo is expected to be the opposition’s standard bearer but has not made a decision on whether to seek the presidency. She has been saying her priority is to unite the opposition.
In the interview, Robredo said the reason for her insistence on a unified opposition for next year’s election is anchored on her conviction that the country deserves better.
“I don’t think that the country can last another six years with this kind of governance.
We’re in the middle of a pandemic and we saw how governance played a very crucial role in crisis situations. Ang paniniwala ko obligasyon kong maghanap ng options hindi para sa akin pero ano ba iyong ikabubuti ng bansa (I believe, it is my obligation to look for options, not for me personally, but for the good of the country),” she said.
Robredo has also met with Sen. Panfilo Lacson who is running for president next year in tandem with Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
In the CNN interview, Robredo said she has spoken with Pacquiao, “I think twice already” and the talks were mostly “exploratory.”
“Pinag-uusapan pa lang namin iyong mga pakiramdam namin about the elections at ano ba iyong stand namin about this, mga ganoon lang naman muna iyong tinatanong ko (We talked about our perceptions about the coming elections, where we stand… that was all I asked him),” she said.
She added Pacquiao has agreed to meet with her for a more detailed negotiation after his welterweight match in the United States against titleholder Errol Spence Jr. on August 22 (Manila time).
“One of the things that we agreed on is pagdating ni Senator Pacquiao we will try, we will try to sit together and discuss. Ang paniniwala ko sa negotiations … again, it’s a continuing thing until makahanap ka ng common ground (One of the things we agreed on is upon Senator Pacquiao’s return, we will try to sit together and discuss. I believe that’s what a negotiation is all about … it’s a continuing thing until you find a common ground),” she said.
The Vice President also clarified that even if she has turned down a unification proposal from Lacson, it does not mean she has rejected all talks of cooperation or alliance for the 2022 elections.
Lacson last week said Robredo “resisted” his unification formula. Robredo on Sunday said Lacson’s proposal was for all presidential candidates involved in unification talks to file their certificates of candidacy (COCs) in October, and later withdraw in favor of the candidate who will top surveys. She said rejected the proposal because she does not want to disappoint her supporters by withdrawing, and because she believes that opposition allies must unite before the filing of COCs.
Yesterday, Robredo said what she declined was the proposal to name Sotto as a common running mate.
She also said she no outright to Lacson’s main proposal because she would not consider a course that would lead to her letting down her supporters by backing out from the campaign.
“Kapag nag-file kami, magsasabong na iyong aming mga supporters. Iyong mga tao tataya na amin. Aasa na sila …hanggang katapusan ito (One we file our certificates of candidacy, our supporters would be clashing. They would be counting on us, working with the understanding that we will see the campaign to the end),” she said.
Despite the initial disappointments from her unification overtures, Robredo said she expects discussions with other groups to be tough.
She stressed that she is prepared to thresh out all potential issues that may be agreed upon with any political party or faction that counts itself unaligned with the Duterte administration.
LIKE A ‘CALL BOY’
President Duterte on Monday said he stripped a “disorganized” city mayor from Metro Manila of the authority to distribute cash aid for those affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), giving the responsibility to the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Department of Public Works and Highways.
The President did not name the official or the city but asked Filipinos if they think he will be a good leader. He said he cannot say who it is because of politics.
Social media comments said Duterte was referring to Manila Mayor Isko Moreno who is said to be eyeing the presidency or vice presidency, and who has partnered with Robredo in some COVID-19 response projects in the city.
The President has repeatedly mentioned the local official in his weekly Talk to the People address hinting that the individual may be eyeing higher office or being floated as a potential candidate for higher office.
Moreno said he has not received official word from Malacañang on the President’s order.
“Wala pa naman,” Moreno said if Manila is among those being stripped of the role in the distribution of cash aid.
In his social media account, Moreno posted certificates of recognition given by the DILG and the DSWD last June for the city government’s “efficient and timely completion” of the distribution of cash assistance to families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last week, thousands also mobbed several vaccination sites in Manila due to false information that authorities will arrest unvaccinated individuals if they go outside of their residences during the ECQ period from August 6 to 20.
On Monday night, Duterte said the public should not be fooled by the individual whose training he likened to that of a “call boy.”
The online dictionary Oxford Languages defines a call boy as either a person in a theater who summons actors when they are due on stage, or a male prostitute.
“Kayong mga Pilipino, huwag kayong magpaloko diyan sa mga, mga padrama magsalita…
Nakita ko nga sa Facebook kanina, lahat nang naka-bikini ang g*** tapos may isang picture pa doon na sinisilip niya ‘yung ari niya (You Filipinos, do not be fooled with his theatrics… I saw in his Facebook, the fool in bikini, and there was one photo where he was taking a peek at his private part),” he said. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
