By Raymund Antonio
Don’t expect just yet a face-off between two presidential female candidates in the 2022 elections.
Vice President Leni Robredo
(OVP / MANILA BULLETIN)
Vice President Leni Robredo again passed up commenting about running for president in 2022, but she said she is leaving the presidency to destiny.
Robredo, a lawyer, was asked in San Fernando, Pampanga about her possible presidential bid versus Davao City Mayor and presidential daughter Sara Duterte.
Former Pampanga governor Among Ed Panlilio earlier hinted at a presidential run for Robredo during her meeting on Monday with various sectoral leaders held in the province.
“Iyong pagiging pangulo, destiny iyon. Iyong kasaysayan natin, nagpapakita na hindi ito napapaghandaan. Maraming nagbalak, pero kapag para sa iyo ito, magiging sa iyo. Kapag hindi talaga ito para sa iyo, kahit anong gawin mo, hindi sa iyo ibibigay,” she told reporters in an interview. (Becoming president is destiny. Our history has shown you can’t be prepared for it. Many people have aspired for it, but if it’s meant for you, it will be yours. If it’s not, whatever you do, it will not be given to you.)
Robredo made the statement after Duterte's daughter said she would she decide on a possible presidential bid by January 2021.
For Robredo, her top priority for now is not the 2022 presidential elections, but her flagship anti-poverty program, Angat Buhay.
The Vice President has been visiting the poorest and farthest communities around the country as part of her poverty alleviation program since 2016.
Robredo, an advocate of the poor, stressed she is focused on her current duties.
“Magiging masama para sa akin kung ang iisipin ko 2022 kasi ang dami kong ginagawa bilang Pangalawang Pangulo. Mayroon akong Angat Buhay,” she said. (It would be bad for me if I will think about 2022 because I have a lot of work to do as Vice President. I have Angat Buhay.)
“Kapag ang konsiderasyon ko eleksyon, parati na sigurong magiging requirement ko, dapat pupuntahan namin na mga community maraming botante, dapat iyong pupuntahan naming community hindi sayang sa oras. Hindi ko na mapupuntahan iyong mga adopted communities namin,” Robredo explained. (If I would focus on the elections, then I would be required to go to communities with many voters and visit communities. I would not be able to go to our adopted communities.)
"If I think about my candidacy, everything would all be over. It's like Angat Buhay would disappear," she said.