Vice President Leni Robredo INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo has urged her supporters to stay calm as she remained unbothered by the political developments among allies of President Rodrigo Duterte.
On Saturday, Robredo posted on Twitter a 34-second video of herself and her supporters dancing to the beat of Taylor Swift’s “22” after Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte filed her certificate of candidacy for vice president and Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, for president in next year’s elections. President Duterte, who accompanied Go at the Commission on Elections headquarters in Manila on Saturday, announced that he would run for vice president for a possible rivalry with his daughter.
“A lot of things are happening. But just like what Taylor said, ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22.’ Let’s just chill,” Robredo said on Twitter.
Robredo and her running mate, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, was in vote-rich Cebu for a two-day visit starting Friday.
Speaking at Robredo’s weekly radio show on Sunday, her spokesperson Barry Gutierrez echoed the Vice President’s remarks, saying she has remained cool despite the challenge of the possible tandem of Duterte and presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“Just relax. That’s her message. Let’s not be bothered. We already know this would happen. Let’s keep our cool,” Gutierrez said.
“We have already seen this drama. That has been done before, that’s not new. In fact, people already expected that to happen, that in the end, there will be last-minute substitutions,” he added.
Gutierrez said Robredo remained focused on her 2022 campaign.
In a statement, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas hit the series of substitutions made by Mr. Duterte’s daughter and his allies.
“Their dishonest and deceptive schemes are consistent with their track record of betraying Filipino women and the people with their slew of antipeople policies,” Brosas said.
She described the developments as the “most flagrant abuse of the candidacy filing—a drama paid for by people’s taxes even as millions remain hungry in the midst of a pandemic.”
“The drama, which no one asked for is expected to continue until Monday, and we must remain critically vigilant of the machinations, which they have yet to employ,” she said.