BISHOP’S BLESSING Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra welcomes Leni Robredo on Tuesday at the prelate’s house in Bacolod City which the Liberal Party vice presidential candidate visited on her first political sortie. ANDY ALVAREZ/CONTRIBUTOR
BACOLOD CITY—Government officials, the clergy, students and civil society gave Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo a rousing welcome in Negros Occidental province on her first sortie outside Metro Manila a day after her declaration of her bid for the vice presidency.
After Robredo called on him at the Bishop’s House in Bacolod, Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra said, “I think the scenario is favorable for her as can be gleaned from the sentiments of the people.”
“I just wish her all the best in her campaign and for the people of the Philippines to be able to judge for themselves with the Grace of God in order that we will have the leader that we deserve,” he said.
Robredo had been invited to speak at Sacred Heart Seminary long before she decided to run for Vice President, the bishop said.
Robredo said she asked the priests to pray for her because “every day will be a constant struggle. The campaign will be difficult.”
“I’m diving into this with no bullets, no resources, without anything, with no political capital, my machinery I will rely on the party,” she said.
Robredo also spoke to students at Carlos Hilado Memorial State College in Talisay City, a gathering of friends that included top officials of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City at the Capitol and before civil society supporters at the L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City.
Robredo said she had worked closely with her husband, the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, who as a public official served the people without calling attention to himself.
Working as a public defender for the poor, and with nongovernment organizations and civil society serving farmers, fishermen and the urban poor prepared her for the challenge she has taken on today, Robredo said.
“If we love what we do, we do not measure the cost,” she said, adding that her husband’s inspiration gives her the strength to believe that the challenge ahead is not impossible.
Among the political leaders supporting Robredo in Negros Occidental are Gov. Alfredo Marañon who wields formidable political clout in the province, and former Negros Occidental Gov. Daniel Lacson Jr. and Rafael Coscolluela.
Robredo speaks from the heart, Marañon said. Her sincerity and her track record at helping the poor make her a formidable candidate, he said. As a lawyer, she did not join a big law firm, but instead worked for the rights for the poor who could not afford to pay for legal help, he said.
It is important that she cares for those who have less in life, he said. The governor said while the Liberal Party was initially courting Grace Poe to be its vice presidential bet, he believed Robredo is much more qualified than Poe and has the capability as Vice President to step in as President should the need arise.
Robredo’s running for Vice President is recognition that something that has been good ought to be continued, Lacson said, citing not only the legacy of President Aquino but that of Jesse Robredo.
Coscolluela said Robredo brought a new element to the 2016 elections. “She is a combination of heart, sincerity, the legacy of Jesse Robredo’s good governance and everything good,” he said.
She will be a very positive addition to the campaign of LP standard-bearer Mar Roxas, he said.
Given her experience, training, education and six years as Vice President if she wins would make her a potential president in the future, he said.
Also at the gathering of friends were Rep. Evelio Leonardia, Mayor Monico Puentevella, councilors of Bacolod City, and officials of various towns and cities of Negros Occidental.