Robredo: No legal obstacle to Rody-Sara tandem in 2022
Published Jan 20, 2020 12:00 am
By Raymund Antonio
Vice President Leni Robredo sees no problem with the tandem of President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, in the 2022 presidential elections.
Vice President Leni Robredo
(OVP / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Robredo, who is the leader of the opposition, said there is no law that prohibits political dynasties from running for elected positions in government. “Lahat naman may karapatan na mag-ambisyon, tumakbo sa isang eleksyon. While totoo na mayroon tayong anti-dynasty sa ating Konstitusyon, hanggang ngayon hindi pa din iyon napapasa sa Kongreso,” she said. (Everyone has the right to be ambitious and run in an election. While it is true we have an anti-dynasty provision in our Constitution, such a law hasn’t passed in Congress yet.) “So hanggang hindi pa iyon naipapasa, mga miyembro ng pamilya puwede pa ding tumakbo (So while it hasn’t been passed, members of a political clan can still run for office).” Robredo noted the voice of Filipino voters is the final decision on whether they want two Dutertes to run the country. “Nasa taumbayan -- kung iyon iyong gusto nilang klaseng pamumuno, ay iyon iyong susuportahan sa eleksyon (It is up to the people – if that’s the kind of leadership they want, then they’ll support that in the elections),” she said. The vice president posed no objection to a possible Duterte-Duterte tandem when asked in an interview on the sidelines of “Istorya ng Pag-asa” school tour kick off at Batasan Hills National High School in Quezon City. She reacted to a pre-election survey showing that Visayas and Mindanao voters preferred the Davao mayor and her father as candidates for president and vice president in 2022. Asked about the plans of the political opposition, Robredo said she can only speak for the Liberal Party, of which she is chair, and the election is far from their mind. “Two and a half years pa iyong eleksyon. Kapag inisip natin iyong preparation for 2022, hindi na makakabuwelo sa pagbibigay ng serbisyo sa taumbayan, kasi iniisip na lang kung paano makakakuha ng boto,” she said. Reiterating what she had said before that “The presidency is destiny,” she added: “Ang lessons kasi natin, ang two and a half years, ang dami pang puwedeng mangyari. Ako iyong pinaka-halimbawa doon: one year before the elections, wala pa man lang akong kamuwang-muwang na tatakbo ako, pero pinalad.” (What I learned is that two and a half years is a long time, and a lot can happen. I’m an example of that: one year before the elections, I had no idea I would run, but I got lucky.)
Vice President Leni Robredo(OVP / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Robredo, who is the leader of the opposition, said there is no law that prohibits political dynasties from running for elected positions in government. “Lahat naman may karapatan na mag-ambisyon, tumakbo sa isang eleksyon. While totoo na mayroon tayong anti-dynasty sa ating Konstitusyon, hanggang ngayon hindi pa din iyon napapasa sa Kongreso,” she said. (Everyone has the right to be ambitious and run in an election. While it is true we have an anti-dynasty provision in our Constitution, such a law hasn’t passed in Congress yet.) “So hanggang hindi pa iyon naipapasa, mga miyembro ng pamilya puwede pa ding tumakbo (So while it hasn’t been passed, members of a political clan can still run for office).” Robredo noted the voice of Filipino voters is the final decision on whether they want two Dutertes to run the country. “Nasa taumbayan -- kung iyon iyong gusto nilang klaseng pamumuno, ay iyon iyong susuportahan sa eleksyon (It is up to the people – if that’s the kind of leadership they want, then they’ll support that in the elections),” she said. The vice president posed no objection to a possible Duterte-Duterte tandem when asked in an interview on the sidelines of “Istorya ng Pag-asa” school tour kick off at Batasan Hills National High School in Quezon City. She reacted to a pre-election survey showing that Visayas and Mindanao voters preferred the Davao mayor and her father as candidates for president and vice president in 2022. Asked about the plans of the political opposition, Robredo said she can only speak for the Liberal Party, of which she is chair, and the election is far from their mind. “Two and a half years pa iyong eleksyon. Kapag inisip natin iyong preparation for 2022, hindi na makakabuwelo sa pagbibigay ng serbisyo sa taumbayan, kasi iniisip na lang kung paano makakakuha ng boto,” she said. Reiterating what she had said before that “The presidency is destiny,” she added: “Ang lessons kasi natin, ang two and a half years, ang dami pang puwedeng mangyari. Ako iyong pinaka-halimbawa doon: one year before the elections, wala pa man lang akong kamuwang-muwang na tatakbo ako, pero pinalad.” (What I learned is that two and a half years is a long time, and a lot can happen. I’m an example of that: one year before the elections, I had no idea I would run, but I got lucky.)