Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo CDN FILE PHOTO/LITO TECSON
President Aquino’s cousin, Sen. Bam Aquino, thinks Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo would make a good Vice Presidential candidate of the ruling Liberal Party.
Talking to reporters at the wake of his uncle, People Power hero Butz Aquino, the senator relayed a message to the daughters of Robredo, who were reported to be against their mother running for higher office:
“[To] the daughters of Ma’am Leni—Aika, Jill and Tricia—maybe it’s time to share Ma’am Leni with the whole Philippines,” he said.
Paraphrasing a line shared during the eulogy for his uncle, the young Aquino said some people have a lot of love to give, and this should be shared with the country.
Capacity to love, serve
“I think Congressman Leni has the capacity to love and to serve, so I’m hoping she can also be shared with the rest of the country, not just with Naga, not just with her family,” he said.
As for convincing the reluctant Robredo, Aquino said the social media campaign to get her to join the Vice Presidential race should continue.
He noted that there were movements on Facebook and other social media platforms calling for Robredo to seek higher office. “I hope that continues. She also listens to the people,” he said.
Civil society groups have launched a move to convince Robredo to run, but the widow of the late Interior Secretary and former Naga Mayor Jesse Robredo has said she is not keen on doing so.
On Tuesday, Sen. Sergio Osmeña III said the camp of LP standard bearer Mar Roxas should convince Robredo to be his running mate.
Robredo is “perfect” for the position and would boost Roxas’ image, said Osmeña.
At the moment, Roxas said he was still trying to convince Sen. Grace Poe to be his running mate. But she has yet to say yes. In fact, it is possible that Poe, who is leading in political surveys, may run for the presidency herself.
“It’s not going to be hard to convince Leni to run because she already said, ‘If I’m the last one, I’ll take it.’ She’s very loyal to the group, to the party, or whatever it is,” Osmeña said.
Robredo earlier said she would consider becoming the running mate of Roxas if she is the only one being eyed for the post. But she also said she could not imagine reaching the point where she would be the only one in the running, and that there were others who were more ready for the challenge.–Leila B. Salaverria