Drilon: LP didn’t pressure Leni Robredo to run for VP

Camarines Sur 3rd District Representative Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo delivers her acceptance message to be the official LP Vice Presidential Candidate for the 2016 National Elections during the “Daang Matuwid: To Be Continued…” of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) at the Corazon C. Aquino Kalayaan Hall of the Club Filipino in San Juan City on Monday (October 05, 2015). Photo by Lauro Montellano, Jr. / Malacañang Photo Bureau

The Liberal Party (LP) did not pressure Camarines Sur representative Leni Robredo to run for vice president in 2016, Senate President Franklin Drilon said on Tuesday.

Drilon said Robredo had just second thoughts about running for the second highest post because her children were against it for “fear of the unknown.”

So when asked over Bombo Radio about speculations that the congresswoman was only pressured by the LP to become the running-mate of its standard-bearer, former Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, Drilon immediately denied it.

“Hindi po totoo iyan. Siyempre, ngayon pa lang ay kung ano-anong kasinungalingan ang ibinabato sa atin,” he said.

(That’s not true. Of course, this early they are already making these false allegations against us.)

“Kaya po nagdadalawang-isip noon si Congresswoman Robredo ay dahilan sa kanyang pamilya, at ang hindi po pumapayag ang kanyang mga anak, dahil siyempre, ‘fear of the unknown.’ Biro mo naman ay bigla at mabigat na responsibilidad itong papasukin ni Congresswoman Leni Robredo, kaya ‘yung mga kanyang anak ay nag-aalangan,” the Senate leader said.

(Congresswoman Robredo was having second thoughts because of her family, because her children did not immediately allow her for “fear of the unknown.” They were probably thinking of the escalation of the responsibility their mother will have to face, so her children were reluctant.)

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Drilon said it was only last Saturday that Robredo’s children gave their go signal for her to accept the LP’s offer to run for vice president next year.

“Kaya hindi po iyan dahil sa pressure ng partido. Kinausap, inalok sa kanya, pinag-isipan ng husto at kinsonsulta ng ilang linggo ang kanyang mga anak, at noong Sabado ay pumayag,” he further said.

(So it’s not because of the pressure of the party. It was offered to her, she thought about it hard and consulted her children for a few weeks and last Saturday, they approved it)

Like Roxas, Drilon was confident that Robredo’s ratings would improve after she formally announced Monday that she will join the vice presidential derby.

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It was understandable that the congresswoman’s rating was low since people did not know yet that she was running for the post.

“Ngayon po ay nagdeklara na si Congresswwman Robredo, ay sigurado po kami ay aangat ang kanyang rating at nagpapasalamat po kami kay Congresswoman Robredo sa pagtanggap ng hamon ng pagkabise-presidente ng bansa, dahil siya po ay larawan ng good governance, kasama ang kanyang kalihim na si Jessie Robredo, kaya po kami naniniwala na itong si Congresswoman Robredo ay siyang makakatulong hindi lang sa kandidatura ni Mar Roxas, kungdi po sa buong bansa kung siya ay maihalal bilang bise-presidente,” Drilon said.

(Now that Congresswoman Robredo has declared her candidacy, we are sure that her ratings will improve. We also thank her for accepting the challenge to be the country’s vice president, and because she is a model for good governance, along with her husband Jessie Robredo, that’s why we believe she will be an asset not just in the candidacy of Mar Roxas, but also in the country if she is voted vice president.) IDL

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