Belmonte says Robredo a ‘charismatic,’ ‘appealing’ speaker

Describing it as a “revelation,” an upbeat House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte on Monday said his view of Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo has changed after hearing her give a public speech.

Robredo on Monday formally accepted the offer of Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II to be his running mate.

READ: ‘Ang mabuti ang parating mananaig’: Leni Robredo makes bid for VP

In her speech, she talked about the challenges she faced after her husband Jesse’s death and her decision to give in to encouragement of others and enter public office, despite her family’s initial disapproval.

“This is a wonderful event and the biggest, to me, one of the things that I noticed right away is that Congresswoman Leni Robredo is really quite a powerful and appealing speaker,” Belmote told reporters after the LP event in Club Filipino.

“I could see now, she can connect. And people share her experiences with her,” he said.

Not first choice

Last week, Belmonte said he “batted” for other people for the vice presidential post. However, he explained that he will back Robredo because she was the pick of the majority of LP leaders. He declined to name his personal choice.

The House Speaker admitted that it was the first time that he heard Robredo give a “public speech.” Although they have been together in Congress since 2013, he said speeches in plenary are different in style and are limited in time.

READ: Aquino says Leni Robredo deciding ‘soon’; Belmonte, Drilon says she’s a yes

“Today I heard her for the first time and I could see that she has charisma. She herself is charismatic. She herself can connect very easily with people,” he said. “If I had one revelation I had here it is that one. And I am very happy for it.”

Belmonte said he was glad that Robredo was able to convince her daughters by reminding that Jesse would have wanted them to “sacrifice for a bigger goal.”

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