Vice President Leni Robredo. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Almost through with her term as the country’s second-highest leader, Vice President Leni Robredo has admitted being happier and fulfilled as a mother to her three daughters than being a politician.
In an interview with Teleradyo’s Kapamilya Konek on Tuesday, Robredo was asked if being vice president is more difficult than being a mom. She delightfully answered as she found such a question refreshing.
Robredo and her late husband, former Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, have three daughters: Aika, Tricia, and Jillian, who have been carving their own career paths outside the shadows of their parents.
“Sa akin, parang welcome break sa akin na ang topic naman ng mga interviews ay ‘yong pagiging nanay, parang mas masaya ‘yon para sa atin,” the Vice President said.
“Mas masaya, mas masaya kasi ‘yong mga kasama mo, kilala ka nang husto, so ‘yong ating mga flaws ay naiintindihan, nasasabihan tayo nang maayos, at ‘yong pagmamahal nandoon,” she added.
According to Robredo, she has no regrets running for vice president although there were times that she and her office were treated as enemies even down to the local government unit (LGU) level — as she belongs to the opposition side of the nation’s political spectrum.
“‘Yong una ang treatment sa akin, kalaban. Mahirap ‘yon for us kasi marami sana kami, parang maraming pwedeng gawin kung magtulungan lang. Pero kung ang treatment sa’yo kalaban parang kahit gusto mong tumulong very limited ‘yong tulong mo,” she explained.
“Halimbawa meron kaming mga tinutulungan na nasa rural communities, kailangan namin ng help from the LGU or kailangan namin ng help from a national government agency, ‘pag nalalaman na kami, ayaw nang tumulong. ‘Yon ‘yong nakakalungkot,” she added.
Robredo held two Cabinet positions under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. Still, she is deemed as the figurehead of the opposition being a stalwart of the Liberal Party (LP), which the administration allies fondly brand as “dilawan.”
Robredo, however, said there were also instances when local governments did not look at the political color and accepted their offer to help. But she stressed it is still hard for them to debunk several rumors about her that some people simply fell for.
“Although ano naman ‘yon, hindi naman lahat gano’n. Meron namang iba na basta sa ngalan ng pagtulong hindi tinitignan ‘yong pulitika, pero, unfortunately, marami pa din ‘pag nalalaman na kami ‘yon, ayaw tumulong,” she noted.
“Syempre hindi naman ako kilala ng mga tao, so may tendency ‘yong taong maniwala sa kung ano’ng naririnig nila. So I have been accused of so many things, magsimula sa nandaya ako sa election, hanggang sa kung ano-anong mga bagay na binabato sa akin. Mahirap siya, pero over the years ‘yong pinaka-lesson talaga sa akin hindi ka napa-paralyze because of clear conscience,” she added.
To date, Robredo has not given a straight answer on whether she would run for the presidency in the 2022 elections, even if she has hinted about a local government post having more appeal to her.
READ: Robredo eyes local post in 2022 polls, but ‘open to all possibilities’
On Monday, a local political party has released a manifesto assuring Robredo of support should she run for governor of Camarines Sur next year.
READ: OVP spox to allies: Respect Robredo’s decision for next year’s polls
But Robredo has maintained that current her focus is on how to help the country fight the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) multi-faceted response to the health crisis has earned broad praises. Among the initiatives of OVP to address the COVID-19 pandemic are free shuttle service program, free dormitories for frontliners, personal protective equipment donations, and more recently, free mobile testing and telemedicine consultation.