Leni: Pink Is The Color Of Protest
“What we are fighting now is larger than the fight before. What we are fighting now is not just the return of the dictator’s son,” Vice President Leni Robredo explained when asked about the color of his presidential campaign.
Presidential aspirant and Vice President Leni Robredo accompanies her running mate, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, in filing his certificate of candidacy at the Commission on Elections’ set up at the Harbor Garden Tent of Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in Pasay City on Oct. 8, 2021. Photo by Jesse Bustos, The Philippine STAR
A different color for a much larger battle.
This was how Vice President Leni Robredo explained the decision to use the color pink for her presidential bid amid observations that she appears to be distancing from the “yellow” branding of the Liberal Party (LP) that she chairs.
“What we are fighting now is larger than the fight before. What we are fighting now is not just the return of the dictator’s son. We are fighting bad governance that has been the cause of the problems we are facing right now,” she said in Filipino during a press conference at her office in Quezon City on Friday, Oct. 8, noting that yellow became a color of protest against the Marcos dictatorship.
Pink, she added, is emerging as a global symbol for protest and activism.
The Vice President clarified that they had not planned on the campaign color, noting how late her decision was to run for president.
“But this has been the color of the groundswell of volunteers… It seemed to be the symbol of activism and protest of volunteers. We always say that we listen. If the people believe that this is the color that symbolizes our joint aspiration to change the kind of leadership that we have, that is what we will use,” she said.
Robredo’s running mate, LP president and Sen. Francis Pangilinan, was wearing a dark green shirt with a pink ribbon when he filed his candidacy on Friday.
Unlike Robredo, who is running as an independent, Pangilinan is an official candidate of the once ruling party.
He explained that he was already preparing for his reelection bid but was convinced to set this aside because of the “call of duty.”
“If there is an opportunity to help others, if there is a chance to serve in a broader way, if there was a call to serve on a higher post, it is our duty to respond, especially in the midst of the nation’s greatest health and economic crisis,” Pangilinan said.
Pressed on campaign colors, Robredo maintained that colors do not define the person.
“There is a saying, ‘we are defined by the choices we make.’ So this is not about colors,” she said, adding that pink is important for her because it symbolizes those who support and trust her.
On her running as independent, Robredo said this is a symbolic way of showing that they are open to forging alliances with different parties.
“What we are pushing for is inclusivity, something that we started by talking even to those who are not members of the party. Our decision to run for president is not for the party but for the united force of the people,” she explained, noting that she has not resigned as LP chair.
According to Pangilinan, the LP party will mobilize behind Robredo, citing its previous decision to endorse her should she decide to run for higher office.
The Vice President said her senatorial slate would be composed of representatives from different parties.
Among those she confirmed were reelectionist Senators Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, former Ifugao representative Teddy Baguilat and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno.
De Lima and Baguilat are LP members, while Hontiveros is of Akbayan and Diokno of the Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino party. They were previously endorsed by LP as among its guest candidates.
Trillanes, a supporter of Robredo, is member of Magdalo, which – along with Akbayan and other groups – are part of the 1Sambayan coalition that endorsed the Vice President.
Free rein
Robredo said that while 1Sambayan will nominate some possible candidates, it has given her free rein to finalize the slate.
“I will assure you that our slate is not just composed of representatives from the Liberal Party,” she said. “Our main idea is that it will come from many different groups and political parties.”
Asked about the possibility of continuing unity talks with other anti-administration candidates, Robredo said their lines are still open but the focus will now shift to uniting the people.
On the possibility of multiple candidates splitting the “opposition” vote, the Vice President said she is not as concerned as before, following discussions showing that they are not aligned on many basic points.
In one interview, the Manila mayor said he admired “at some point” the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whom he described as a visionary. He maintained that he is against the abuses during the martial law period.
Moreno, who was among those whom Robredo reached out to for unity talks, is positioning himself as a neutral candidate who will be a “healing” president if elected. – With Robertzon Ramirez, Paolo Romero
This was how Vice President Leni Robredo explained the decision to use the color pink for her presidential bid amid observations that she appears to be distancing from the “yellow” branding of the Liberal Party (LP) that she chairs.
“What we are fighting now is larger than the fight before. What we are fighting now is not just the return of the dictator’s son. We are fighting bad governance that has been the cause of the problems we are facing right now,” she said in Filipino during a press conference at her office in Quezon City on Friday, Oct. 8, noting that yellow became a color of protest against the Marcos dictatorship.
Pink, she added, is emerging as a global symbol for protest and activism.
The Vice President clarified that they had not planned on the campaign color, noting how late her decision was to run for president.
“But this has been the color of the groundswell of volunteers… It seemed to be the symbol of activism and protest of volunteers. We always say that we listen. If the people believe that this is the color that symbolizes our joint aspiration to change the kind of leadership that we have, that is what we will use,” she said.
Robredo’s running mate, LP president and Sen. Francis Pangilinan, was wearing a dark green shirt with a pink ribbon when he filed his candidacy on Friday.
Unlike Robredo, who is running as an independent, Pangilinan is an official candidate of the once ruling party.
He explained that he was already preparing for his reelection bid but was convinced to set this aside because of the “call of duty.”
“If there is an opportunity to help others, if there is a chance to serve in a broader way, if there was a call to serve on a higher post, it is our duty to respond, especially in the midst of the nation’s greatest health and economic crisis,” Pangilinan said.
Pressed on campaign colors, Robredo maintained that colors do not define the person.
“There is a saying, ‘we are defined by the choices we make.’ So this is not about colors,” she said, adding that pink is important for her because it symbolizes those who support and trust her.
On her running as independent, Robredo said this is a symbolic way of showing that they are open to forging alliances with different parties.
“What we are pushing for is inclusivity, something that we started by talking even to those who are not members of the party. Our decision to run for president is not for the party but for the united force of the people,” she explained, noting that she has not resigned as LP chair.
According to Pangilinan, the LP party will mobilize behind Robredo, citing its previous decision to endorse her should she decide to run for higher office.
The Vice President said her senatorial slate would be composed of representatives from different parties.
Among those she confirmed were reelectionist Senators Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, former Ifugao representative Teddy Baguilat and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno.
De Lima and Baguilat are LP members, while Hontiveros is of Akbayan and Diokno of the Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino party. They were previously endorsed by LP as among its guest candidates.
Trillanes, a supporter of Robredo, is member of Magdalo, which – along with Akbayan and other groups – are part of the 1Sambayan coalition that endorsed the Vice President.
Free rein
Robredo said that while 1Sambayan will nominate some possible candidates, it has given her free rein to finalize the slate.
“I will assure you that our slate is not just composed of representatives from the Liberal Party,” she said. “Our main idea is that it will come from many different groups and political parties.”
Asked about the possibility of continuing unity talks with other anti-administration candidates, Robredo said their lines are still open but the focus will now shift to uniting the people.
On the possibility of multiple candidates splitting the “opposition” vote, the Vice President said she is not as concerned as before, following discussions showing that they are not aligned on many basic points.
In one interview, the Manila mayor said he admired “at some point” the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whom he described as a visionary. He maintained that he is against the abuses during the martial law period.
Moreno, who was among those whom Robredo reached out to for unity talks, is positioning himself as a neutral candidate who will be a “healing” president if elected. – With Robertzon Ramirez, Paolo Romero
