Vice President Leni Robredo said while she is not planning to run for president in 2022, she remains open to the idea of pursuing the seat in Malacañang or any local or national post.
(Jansen Romero / MANILA BULLETIN)
In an interview with GMA News' "The Mangahas Interviews," Robredo said she was not planning to run for president next year especially with the many problems caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic waiting for the country's next top official.
"Hindi ako nagpaplano (I am not planning)," she said.
"Para sa akin yung (For me) 2022 is an important election. Marami tayong mga democratic institutions na kailangan i-strengthen, maraming values na kailangang balikan, marami tayong-- para sa akin-- character ng Pilipinas ay kailangang ayusin uli (We have democratic institutions that we need to strengthen, values we need to look back on, and characteristics that we need to fix)," she added.
Robredo said choosing a candidate for next year should depend on if that person is capable of fixing these problems.
"Dapat siya 'yung may capacity na magawa itong lahat kasi ang dadatnan niya ang taas ng ating national debt, 'yung nasa height pa siya ng COVID-19 pandemic (That candidate should have the capacity to do all that because he will be facing a huge national debt during the height of the pandemic)," she said.
"Maraming problemang sasaluhin--hindi siya biro (There are many problems to inherit--it's not a joke)," she added.
Despite this, Robredo said she was not closing her doors to running in 2022, not just for the presidency, but for any other position.
"Parati naman akong bukas sa kahit anong possibilities hindi lang for the presidency, hindi lang for national office, pero pati local office (I am always open to any possibility, not just for the presidency, not just for the national office, but in the local office as well)," she said.
Robredo has repeatedly said it was too early to think about politics, especially since the country is still facing a pandemic. She said the lack of resources was actually affecting her decision to run for a possible 2022 presidential bid.