Vice President Leni Robredo revealed on Tuesday, May 18, that she’s happier as a mother to her three daughters than becoming the country’s second-highest official.

Robredo has three daughters—Aika, Tricia, and Jillian—with the late interior secretary and Naga mayor Jesse Robredo.

Aika works for a non-government organization, Tricia is a doctor, and Jillian is studying Biomolecular Science under the New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering.

“Parang welcome break sa akin, na ang topic naman ng mga interviews ay iyong pagiging nanay. Parang mas masaya iyon para sa atin (It’s like a welcome break for me, that the topic of the interviews is being a mother. It’s happier for me),” Robredo said in an interview with DZMM Teleradyo’s Kapamilya Konek.

“Mas masaya kasi mga kasama mo kilala ka ng husto. Kaya iyong ating mga flaws ay naiintindihan. Nasasabihan tayo ng maayos at iyong pagmamahal nandoon (I’m happier because the people you’re with know you very well. That’s why they understand our flaws. They to talk to me and the love is there),” she added.

The vice president’s life has been a whirlwind the past five years—from fighting an electoral protest to responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

Moreover, Robredo has mostly been the favorite of fake news peddlers and online attacks since she was elected in office in 2016.

But she tries to maintain a sense of normalcy in her family life even as she navigates the often turbulent arena of politics.

“Pumasok ako sa pulitika nagbago talaga. Nagbago iyong lahat kasi all of a sudden, hindi ko na sila matututukan (When I entered politics it has changed. Everything has changed because all of a sudden I can no longer focus on them),” Robredo, who was a one-term Camarines Sur representative, said.

“So the fact na ganito iyong naging (this is the) political climate, ano rin iyon, malaki rin iyong adjustment para sa mga anak ko (it is also a big adjustment for my children),” she explained.