Leni hopes to tap ‘power of volunteerism’ for presidential bid

Vice President Leni Robred. Photo by VPLeni Media Bureau

Leni now wants to do a Digong.

They may not see eye to eye on many governance issues, but Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday said she was hoping to harness the “power of volunteerism” that propelled President Duterte to Malacañang in the 2016 elections.

In a Zoom meeting with a group of overseas Filipinos, Robredo said she was banking on the efforts of various organizations, including the Catholic Church and other religious groups, that have been supporting her presidential candidacy and that of her running mate, Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan.

“The biggest thing that we lacked [in 2016], but we now have, is the group of volunteers. They are so invested,” Robredo said during the online launch of the group Solid Leni-Kiko Global.

“Your involvement now is so different from the past elections. We’re seeing this on the ground,” she said. “Our volunteers really spend their own money and think about what they can do without waiting for the national campaign team.”

She noted that this same spirit of volunteerism helped then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in winning the presidential race against his then running mate, administration candidate Mar Roxas, despite the lack of a big political machinery.

“[Mr.] Duterte won because of the power of volunteerism,” Robredo said.

“The political machinery he had when he won was not powered by the conventional political structure because he was not an administration candidate then. So we’re looking at that, but we’re not leaving things to chance.”

Her network of supporters and volunteers, who fondly called themselves “kakampink,” had since branched out to various sectors, such as “Lawyers for Leni,” “Doctors for Leni,” “Engineers for Leni,” “Architects for Leni,” “Artists for Leni” and even “Gwapo (handsome) for Leni.”

“I think this is our biggest resource that other [presidential] candidates do not have,” the Vice President said. “We need to maximize this for our fight so that it could truly be a ‘people’s campaign.’”

Robredo’s presidential bid in the May 9 elections has also received much-needed boost from two groups of former government officials and international development workers.

Retired executives and rank-and-file employees of the Department of Labor and Employment on Friday endorsed Robredo as the country’s next chief executive for her clean track record as public official and for coming up with the “only science-based, feasible and cost-effective plan” in responding to the contagion.

“[Robredo] and her team have a realistic, doable and people-centric plans to create more employment opportunities that will help our economy rise from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the group of 38 former labor attaches, regional directors and arbiters.

On the other hand, 207 Filipino development workers who previously served in agencies under the United Nations, including the World Bank, the International Labor Office, the World Health Organization and the UN Development Programme, also threw their support behind Robredo.

“Her unblemished record of accountability and simple lifestyle speak of her trustworthiness and humility. Her genuine concern for people’s well-being and empowerment will be the beacon for her governance as president,” the group said.

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