Robredo to supporters: Accept final results, but we’ll check issues
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo assured Filipinos on Tuesday that she would accept whatever would be the final results of the 2022 presidential race and urged her supporters to do the same. But she said her camp would still check on issues being raised about the conduct of the elections.
Robredo said this during a thanksgiving Mass in Naga City, her first public appearance since the start of the counting of partial and unofficial results of the May 9 national and local elections.
She addressed her fellow Naga residents in Bicolano, which was transcribed and translated by her office into Filipino.
“So for me, what I wish for now, while we are grieving, while some of us still could not believe the results of the elections: Whatever the final results will be, let’s accept them. Let’s accept them because these will be the source of strength that we all can share.”
According to the vice president, this would not mean that she would turn her back on complaints about supposed election irregularities and problems.
“I’m not saying we will not pay attention to the problems being relayed to us. What I mean is: There is a bigger fight. Our fight does not end with the elections. Many eyes were opened. Many minds woke up. The fight continues,” Robredo said.
“The fight here is not just a fight to win the elections but a fight that aims to make ourselves of efforts to achieve a good kind of governance in our country,” he added.
She also hopes no one regrets the decision to support the opposition.
“I hope there are no regrets in our hearts and minds. We know we did everything – all the industriousness, all the sacrifices — not only me but most of all you. I saw what you offered to these elections. I hope what we offered we can bring to the bigger fight we have to face.”
Robredo, who ran on a platform of reforming government and promoting inclusive growth, is losing in the partial and unofficial tally from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
As of Tuesday afternoon, Comelec’s transparency server showed that former senator Bongbong Marcos already has over 30.95 million votes, way ahead of Robredo’s 14.75 million votes.
Earlier in the day, there were rumors that Robredo was about to make her concession speech. But in a Facebook stream, the Vice President did not make any concession announcement, and instead thanked her supporters for joining her crusade for good governance.
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