VP Robredo most qualified to be next PH president, says Drilon

Vice President Leni Robredo  (Photo by Jay Ganzon/OVP)

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Tuesday said the Liberal Party (LP) considers Vice President Leni Robredo as the most qualified to be the Philippines’ next president.

“Right now, there is no question that Vice President Leni Robredo, to us, is the most qualified to be the next president,” Drilon, vice chairman of the LP, said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel Tuesday.

But whether or not Robredo decides to run is a matter of personal decision, according to the minority leader.

“She is our [chairman], we will support her but the matter of running is a personal decision and up to this point, Vice President Leni has not decided to cast her hat in the national political ring,” he said.

Robredo has repeatedly parried questions on her plans for the 2022 elections, saying that addressing the pandemic should prioritized.

She said she and her office remain committed to assisting the country in combating the COVID-19 pandemic amid the surge in cases.

Robredo, along with Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Sen. Nancy Binay, Sen. Grace Poe and former Sen. Antonio Trillanes, are also being  considered as a prospective candidate by a new electoral coalition led by retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio.

Carpio said the 1Sambayan coalition seeks to form a single national slate that would challenge the current administration in the national elections next year. 

LP president Sen. Francis Pangilinan said that while the party welcomes “all efforts to unite” and are “open to informal talks,” he said politics should be set aside to focus on addressing the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.

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