NOT ABOUT GENDER: Leni Believes She’s A Courageous Leader; Vows Gov’t Transparency, Accountability

Vice President Leni Robredo described herself as courageous and could face tough battles when asked about the opinion that the country should be led by someone with an iron hand to succeed. 

During the presidential interviews by GMA News anchor Jessica Soho on Saturday, Jan. 22, Robredo said if the definition of iron hand is about showing courage, she has shown this in many stages as vice president. 

When she was appointed and then removed by President Duterte as chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council in 2016, Robredo said she continued her advocacy and was not afraid to voice out her feelings even if she caught the ire of the other government leaders. 

Duterte also fired Robredo from co-chair of the Inter-agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) less than three weeks after her appointment. 

“Noong in-offer sa ‘kin ‘yung ICAD ay tinanggap ko ‘yun, knowing for a fact na parang pumasok ako sa lion’s den,” Robredo said. 

Robredo noted she had proven in many stages of her life that she is tough and ready to fight – when she lost her husband in 2012, ran and won as Camarines Sur representative in 2013 versus a member of a political dynasty, and then as vice president in 2016 where she was the only woman candidate. 

“Kung katapangan lang naman ‘yung pag-uusapan…in many stages of my life, pinakita ko ito. Nawalan ako ng asawa, lumaban ako. Noong kumandidato ako bilang congresswoman, kalaban ko isa sa pinakamatinding political dynasties sa lugar namin pero lumaban ako. Noong lumaban ako bilang vice president, baguhan ako, kalaban ko lahat senador na nakaupo, lahat lalaki, ako lang ‘yung babae pero nagtagumpay ako,” Robredo pointed out. 

She said bravery is not about gender but could be seen on how a person make decisions in life’s many aspects. 

“So, kung katapangan lang naman, hindi ito nakikita sa gender. Nakikita ito kung papaano ka nagde-desisyon sa maraming aspeto ng iyong buhay,” Robredo stressed. 

Robredo emphasized that long before she became a politician, she was already a public servant and had seen the different sides of the coin. 

She said she was a development worker and served the marginalized, which she continued to do as vice president. 

“And para sa ’kin ito ‘yung mahalaga. Mahalaga na ‘yung nakaupo ‘yung puso niya nasa pagsilbi talaga sa pinaka mahihirap,” Robredo added. 

Robredo is also confident that her ranking in the presidential surveys could still improve despite the lack of machinery she had in 2016 being an administration candidate and this is through her campaign volunteers. 

“Ako tuloy-tuloy…‘yung aming mga ginagawa…Marami ngayon na wala na nandoon sa amin noong 2016. Noong 2016 meron kaming political machinery, ngayon wala na ‘yun. ‘Yung ating katunggali napakalakas ng political machinery, napakaraming resources, ‘yung political might napakalakas,” Robredo said. “Pero…meron kami na wala sila. At ‘yun ‘yung passion, ‘yung commitment, ‘yung dedication ng napakaraming volunteers. And para sa ‘kin…walang sinabi ‘yung resources, walang sinabi ‘yung political might sa desire ng taumbayan na lumaban para sa bansa natin.” 

Transparency, accountability 

Robredo also vowed transparency in government processes and transactions, accountability of public officials, and people empowerment if she is elected president. 

Robredo was asked, “The 1987 Constitution says ‘the State shall maintain honesty and integrity in (the) public service.’ If you become president, how will you maintain this or make it happen?” 

“For me, three things are needed to make this happen,” Robredo started in a mix of Filipino and English. “Number one, transparency. I will make sure that all government processes and transactions are transparent,” she continued. 

“Second, accountability – the assurance that all public officials are accountable for their actions,” Robredo added. “But the third equally important thing is people empowerment. Meaning to say, people must participate in governance so that our government will be forced to act sensibly.” 

The Vice President believes she is fit to be the next president, one who can inspire Filipinos to work for and find solutions to the country’s problems. 

“For me, the solution to all the problems of our nation will not depend on one person, but will depend on every Filipino. As I see it, the next president must have the capacity and ability to inspire. To inspire other Filipinos to own the problem,” Robredo said. 

The Vice President said the May 2022 elections are a chance for Filipinos to hit the reset button to start a new kind of politics where ordinary citizens can get elected to public office. 

She hopes to see a change in the political environment in the country. 

Robredo noted that a candidate’s track record should be scrutinized as this will show if the candidate will fulfill promises made during the campaign.  

‘I did not leave Liberal Party’ 

Robredo said her decision to run as an independent candidate symbolizes her willingness to work with everyone regardless of their political affiliations. 

The Vice President denied that she abandoned the Liberal Party (LP). 

“I did not leave the Liberal Party. By running independent we hope to convey the message that we are open to everyone, even those not belonging to the party,” she explained. “For me, I remain a Liberal Party member but I am running as an independent.” 

Soho told Robredo that no independent candidate has so far won the Philippine presidency. 

“For me, there is always the first time,” the Vice President replied. “I think this might be a fresh start for our country. That the sitting president is a president not only from one party but a president who is open to any party.” 

Robredo won the vice presidency in 2016 under the LP. 

Soho also asked Robredo who she would vote for among the 2022 presidential aspirants if she is not vying for the position. 

Robredo said she would vote for Sen. Manny Pacquiao. 

“I know him and I know he is a very sincere person,” she said. 

Robredo said she was frustrated when the opposition unity talks among presidential aspirants for the upcoming elections failed but she has no regrets as she exerted all effort. 

Before she filed her candidacy last October, Robredo met with other candidates to discuss the possibility of fielding one presidential candidate of the opposition. 

‘A lame and cowardly act’ 

Meanwhile, citizen-led democratic initiative group Democracy Watch Philippines denounced presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “lame” and “cowardly” act of disparaging Soho, after he refused to participate in the presidential interviews aired Saturday night. 

“Cowardice is no trait for a President,” Democracy Watch said in a statement. 

In a statement explaining Marcos’ decision, lawyer Vic Rodriguez said that they believed Soho is biased against the Marcoses and her line of questioning would most likely focus on negativity about the late dictator’s son. 

Responding to Rodriguez, GMA Network said, “the questions are tough because the job of the presidency is tough.” 

In 2021, the Supreme Court, sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), unanimously dismissed the electoral protest filed by defeated candidate Marcos against Robredo. 

The vice president had given assurance that her administration will pursue the recovery of Marcos’ ill-gotten wealth if she is elected president. 

Leni: “I made the right decision to run for president” 

Her discernment was a long journey but Robredo said she made the right decision to run for president in the May 9 national elections. 

“Mahaba ‘yung journey pero I think I made the right decision,” Robredo, the only woman presidential candidate,  said. 

Before her Oct. 7 declaration, Robredo had sought to unite the opposition and field one candidate for the elections. 

The talks, however, fell through. Robredo said at this point, it would be more difficult to unite the opposition as everyone is already “invested” in their respective bids. 

Robredo, however, added that even if she failed to unite the presidential contenders, she was “successful in uniting so many groups,” including non-politicians. 

“At ito ay nagbibigay sa atin ng inspirasyon. Kahit ‘yung mga politicians na kabahagi natin sa kampanya ngayon, iba-ibang partido din yung pinanggalingan,” Robredo said. 

Asked if she only decided on a presidential run to challenge Marcos, Robredo said that was not her “primary motivation [but] that is one of the factors that helped me decide to run.”  

Robredo said one of the reasons that she was now a candidate was because she honored her commitment to 1Sambayan, a coalition of pro-democracy groups, that she would run for president if they chose her following their selection process that included several other leaders. 

Robredo said that should she be elected president, her administration’s three main priorities would be jobs, health, and education. Robredo has already introduced her Kalayaan sa COVID Plan and Hanabuhay Para sa Lahat Plan. Both are detailed roadmaps on how she would address these three issues. – With Helen Flores, Elizabeth Marcelo