MANILA, Philippines — Even if she did not agree with Senator Panfilo Lacson’s proposal for the opposition’s unification, Vice President Leni Robredo said that talks between them should not end at that.
Robredo clarified in an interview with CNN Philippines’ The Source on Tuesday that there are several points to discuss further, in hopes of finding common ground between politicians before the 2022 national elections.
“Pero ‘yong usapan kasi namin, hindi namin ‘yon tinuldukan. ‘Yong usapan namin, to continue talking: halimbawa, one of the things that we agreed on is pagdating ni Senator Manny Pacquiao, we will try to sit together and discuss,” she said.
“Ang paniniwala ko sa negotiations, again, it’s a continuing thing until makakahanap tayo ng common ground, gano’n naman ‘yon di ba. Ine-expect ko na hindi siya magiging madali kasi ang pinanggalingan namin iba-iba, hindi naman kami magkakapartido, and expected ko na iba-iba ‘yong pakiramdam namin,” she added.
It can be recalled that Robredo and Lacson’s talks hit a bump after the latter admitted that the Vice President did not agree to his proposal. But Robredo later on revealed that she felt strongly against the proposal — which was to let all possible presidential bets file their certificates of candidacy and eventually withdraw in respect to the candidate with the highest chance of winning.
Robredo said she thinks such a move would only spark more division as supporters would insist that their candidate is the rightful candidate for the opposition — stressing that the unity must happen before filing certificates of candidacy in October.
However, she also acknowledged that it was a bold suggestion from Lacson — whom she said may also be seeking unity just like her.
“I knew it was a bold proposal, I knew that Senator Ping was like me, also seeking more ways by which we can forge a unity of some sort, siguro find a common ground. Hindi ako sang-ayon sa proposal na ‘yon pero para sa akin ang dami pang ibang pwedeng pag-usapan,” she said.
“Maaaring magkaroon din ako ng proposal na ayaw niya din, pero dapat ‘yong pag-uusap should continue until alam mo ‘yon, makahanap kayo ng common ground. And hindi lang naman kami ang mag-uusap,” she added.
Robredo has insisted several times now that she is open to a unified opposition slate that would feature a single candidate which could have a higher chance of winning against the administration-backed candidate.
She and her spokesperson Barry Gutierrez maintained that they remain open to stepping aside or running in 2022, whichever is the best scenario for the opposition.
READ: Robredo’s silence on 2022 plans not due to fear of trolls — spox
Robredo and Lacson are two of the politicians rumored to be making a serious bid in the 2022 presidential race, along with Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Senators Grace Poe and Richard Gordon, and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio
However, most opposition bets have not performed well in recent surveys, as Robredo and Lacson ranked lower than possible administration candidates like Duterte-Carpio and former senator Bongbong Marcos. According to a recent survey from Pulse Asia, the only exception is Moreno, who is second behind Duterte-Carpio.
Robredo stressed that the opposition must always give a chance at unity as the upcoming polls are very important.
“Sa akin ang paniniwala ko talaga, the 2022 elections is a very important election. Meaning to say, because it’s a very important election, we should really give unity a chance, because too much is at stake,” Robredo said.
“Kailangan maging bukas tayo, makipag-kaisa sa mga taong maaaring — gaya ng sabi ko — iba ang pinanggalingan pero ang gusto rin pagbabago sa bayan,” she noted.