Leni joins crowded race to Palace

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo has declared herself a presidential candidate, ending a long period of speculation and standing on a campaign to help Filipinos break free of the “old, rotten brand of politics” afflicting them in the past six years.

“Here I am today, taking that step forward,” the 56-year-old widow and mother of three said in a stirring 15-minute speech delivered in Filipino. “I will fight for you all until the very end. I will put everything on the line. I will give everything I have to give. Let’s place our stakes on this fight together.”

Dressed in a blue blouse marked with a pink ribbon—now her campaign colors, as shown by her enthusiastic supporters—the Vice President made her announcement on Thursday morning at the Quezon City reception house.

In the afternoon, she filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) at the Sofitel hotel, the document stating that she will run for president as an independent and not as a candidate of the Liberal Party (LP).

It was under the LP that Robredo sought and won the vice presidency in 2016. She remains LP chair, per her spokesperson Barry Gutierrez.

After the requisite picture-taking, the Vice President left without speaking to reporters gathered inside the Sofitel Harbor Garden Tent.

The opposition coalition 1Sambayan, which nominated her last week as its presidential candidate, described her run as “ a light of hope” amid great uncertainty caused by the government’s failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the struggling economy.

According to Inquirer sources, Robredo will run alongside Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan as vice-presidential candidate.

Pangilinan has not confirmed it. But he called on the public to back Robredo’s candidacy, saying: “We, the Filipino people, deserve only the best.”

‘Philippines of our dreams’

In her speech, Robredo recalled rising to “the challenge of running for the vice presidency” in 2016.

“Today we will take on a bigger fight. I vow today to pour all of my strength not just until the elections but for the rest of my days, to the fight for the Philippines of our dreams,” she said, adding:

“Today I stand with full resolve: We must free ourselves from the current situation. I will fight, we will fight.”

Robredo’s announcement ends months of speculation about her 2022 plans, and pits her once more against the late dictator’s son Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom she defeated in the vice presidential race in 2016 and who filed his COC for president on Tuesday.

She had earlier said she would run for president if only to bar another Marcos from taking over Malacañang.

But in her declaration speech, Robredo made clear that she was running to help put an end to a government marked by “corruption, incompetence, and lack of compassion”—an apparent reference to the controversies now hounding President Duterte’s administration, including a multibillion-peso scandal involving questionable government contracts for medical supplies with the undercapitalized Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.

Readiness to do battle

Robredo brings to the table a strong track record of projects aimed at helping ordinary Filipinos: pandemic-related testing and vaccination initiatives, disaster response efforts, and community programs, all on a perpetually small budget.

“I am a mother who sees the suffering of my beloved country. I firmly believe: Love is not measured by forbearance alone, but by a readiness to do battle. Whoever loves must do battle for the beloved,” she said.

Robredo called on her base to “awaken the strength sleeping inside of you” and to reach beyond usual circles to broaden ranks.

“Let us move as a country toward a future that is just and humane, where every Filipino has a chance to succeed, and where the strength of one becomes the singular strength of all,” she said. “I trust without any doubt that we will be victorious.”

Robredo had publicly voiced hesitation to seek the top post; in private, she worked on “unity talks” with other presidential aspirants in an effort to forge the broadest coalition that would ensure the opposition’s victory.

With Senators Ping Lacson and Manny Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso having made their own pitch for the presidency, Robredo joins a crowded race that may still change until Nov. 15, the last day for substitution of candidacies.

‘Only candidate of principle’

Her spokesperson Gutierrez earlier said unification talks may be continued until then.

Kaya Natin! Movement, a foundation cofounded by the Vice President’s late husband, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, said it was ready to “rise with her to the challenges ahead,” and expressed confidence in her as “the only candidate of principle and excellent capability.”

Metro Manila for Leni Movement convener Ted Lazaro touted her “creative, innovative and efficient” pandemic programs despite minimal support from the administration.

From her detention cell, Sen. Leila de Lima, one of Mr. Duterte’s most vocal critics, said Robredo’s decision to run “is the beginning of hope and the aspiration of many for good leadership in the next six years.”

“In the past half-decade, Duterte and his gang have grossly mismanaged the government and our economy, bungled the pandemic response, plundered the public coffers, betrayed the Filipinos in favor of foreign interests, ruined our democratic institutions, and committed innumerable crimes and human rights violations against our people,” De Lima said in a statement.

She pointed out that Robredo had been able to show “moral courage, competence, and resourcefulness” despite her office’s meager budget and her sidelining by the administration.

“All these years—especially during the ongoing pandemic—VP Leni has demonstrated time and again her brand of proactive and compassionate leadership,” De Lima added.

Said 1Sambayan: “Make no mistake about it, we are up against the vast resources of the Duterte administration. If we remain divided, we will stand to lose more than just the elections: we will lose our country, our democracy, and integrity in public service.”

The coalition described Robredo’s presidential candidacy as the beginning of an uphill battle to “regain the country’s democracy and integrity in governance.”

“But knowing that we are fighting for the survival of the country fuels our vigilance and our resolve to push for the presidency of VP Leni in next year’s elections,” it said.

57 for prez

Since October 1, the start of the filing period, 57 persons have filed their COC for president, including 16 who did so on Thursday. Most of them are independent candidates.

Seven filed their COC for vice president on Thursday, bringing the total vice-presidential aspirants so far to 16.

The last day for filing COCs is today, October 8. —With reports from Dona Z. Pazzibugan, Jhesset O. Enano, and Leila B. Salaverria