Vice President Leni Robredo —OVP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo said Saturday it is not pursuing active efforts to forge formal alliances with the other candidates “at this stage.”
In a text message to INQUIRER.net, Robredo’s spokesperson Atty. Barry Guttierrez said the Vice President has been very clear that her running mate and “personal choice” for vice president is Senator Francis Pangilinan.
“The entire campaign is focused on getting the Leni-Kiko tandem elected in the remaining 30 days of the campaign,” he said.
“While we remain open to conversations with other candidates, no active efforts have been made to forge any formal alliances at this stage,” he added.
Guttierrez made the statement in response to Senator Panfilo Lacson who claims that he was requested to drop his presidential bid so that Robredo and Senate President Tito Sotto can form a tandem for the coming elections.
Sotto is Lacson’s running mate.
“Sa akin may lumapit, alam niyo ang offer, doon sa Pampanga… alam niyo ang proposal niya sa akin: ‘Senator, kaya naming paatrasin si Kiko (Senator Francis Pangilinan) at ipasok si Senate President bilang vice president ni Leni basta magwithdraw ka lang,” Lacson said at the Pandesal Forum.
(Someone approached me in Pampanga. The proposal was: “Senator, we can make Kiko back out and allow the Senate President to run as Robredo’s vice president. But you have to withdraw from the race.”)
Pangilinan, however, said there is no plan to form a Robredo-Sotto tandem.
“He (Lacson) did the right thing by rejecting such an offer because no such plan exists,” he said in a separate text message.
“Bakit naman ako magwi-withdraw ngayon considering nasa amin na ni VP Leni ang momentum nakikita na sa latest survey, sa parami ng parami na sumasama sa mga rally namin sa buong bansa at pati na rin sa mga naglilipatan na na politiko para i-endorso si VP Leni?” the senator said.
(Why will I withdraw now considering that VP Leni and I already have the momentum as seen in the latest survey, in the many people joining our rallies and the politicians shifting their support to endorse VP Leni?)
“At ika nga, kaunting kembot nalang at malamang maglilipatan na din ang mas marami pa na mga politiko at i-indorso na rin nila pati ‘yung VP bid natin,” he added.
(More politicians will surely shift their support and endorse my VP bid, too.)
Pangilinan said that what is important in the end is the outpouring of support from the people and not the “maneuvering efforts of a number of politicians.”
/MUF
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