‘Huwag Pangunahan’: Leni Not Closing Doors On Presidential Run

Vice President Leni Robredo maintained on Sunday, May 16, she is not closing her doors to a possible presidential run in the May 2022 general elections.

“I haven’t changed my position yet since last year. I’m still open to all options and these options are either to run for president, run for governor, run for congressman, or not run at all, which is what my children want,” Robredo said in her program over dzXL.

The Vice President also maintained that she personally prefers running for local office.

“I haven’t kept it that if I have a choice and I will run, I prefer a local (position) because I really want that kind of job. But I haven’t made a decision yet. I’m open to all possibilities. It doesn’t mean that I’m definitely running for governor. That is just one of the options,” she said.

Last week, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV claimed that Robredo would run for governor of Camarines Sur next year.

Robredo expressed hope that people would not get ahead of themselves and announce that she had made a decision because that is wrong.

“And sana, iyong sa akin…iyong mga pahayag, magkakandidato sa ganito, sa akin… karapatan n’yo naman iyan, pero huwag naman sana akong pangunahan…Kapag sinabi mong nakapag-desisyon na ako, mali ka kasi wala pa akong desisyon,” Robredo stated.

Robredo said her supposed gubernatorial bid was linked by her critics to her “frequent” visits to Camarines Sur and her alleged change of residence.

“I don’t come home frequently, they are also making an issue of the change of residence. This year I only went home twice. Before the pandemic, I go home every other weekend,” the Vice President, who hails from Naga City, disclosed.

She thinks that a new family house, which is currently being built near Naga, could have also triggered speculations about her alleged gubernatorial bid.

“When our mother died, my siblings and I thought of building a house in one of the properties our parents left us… These properties were very far from Naga, so I asked their permission to look for a nearby property and we have already started the construction. That created too much controversy,” she pointed out.

Robredo served as representative of the 3rd district of Camarines Sur for one term prior to her election as vice president in 2016. As the highest ranking member of the opposition, she is being groomed as possible presidential candidate in 2022.

She earlier signed up for a national ID in Magarao town, adding fuel to rumors that she would consider running for a local post, specifically for governor of Camarines Sur. Magarao is around eight kilometers from Naga.

In a previous interview, Robredo’s spokesman Barry Gutierrez said the Vice President and her siblings acquired a residential property in Magarao after the death of their mother Sally Gerona in February last year.

Robredo stressed that she’s always been open about her plans for 2022, including running for a local position because that’s the kind of job that she likes.

But she said she’s focused on the programs and projects of her office related to the COVID-19 pandemic and has not been entertaining political meetings. “Maybe if there’s no pandemic, I will have time to deal with politics.”

She admitted that many of her supporters do not want her to decide at the last minute but she pointed out that she has responsibilities to attend to especially amid the public health crisis.

“Pero kung ako tatanungin (But if you ask me), anything is possible at this point,” Robredo said.