Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday, June 4, stressed that she is still open to running for president in 2022 amid speculations that she is gunning for the gubernatorial post in her home province of Camarines Sur.
In a Facebook post, the vice president said that she has not made a decision yet on her political plans next year.
“Sa gitna ng maraming haka haka, uulitin ko lang ang ilang beses ko na ring sinabi: Wala pang desisyon na ako'y tatakbong gobernador. Nananatili akong bukas na maging kandidato sa pagka Pangulo (In the midst of many speculations, I will repeat something I have said a lot of times: I have not made the decision to run as governor. I remain open to be a candidate for the presidency).”
Robredo said there are a lot of considerations to be made, but promised to make the decision “at the right time.”
“Sinisiguro ko sa lahat na ipapaalam ko kung may narating nang desisyon (I am assuring everyone that I will let you know if I arrived at a decision),” she added.
Former House majority leader Rolando “Nonoy” Andaya Jr. floated the idea of Robredo running for governor in Camarines Sur after she transferred residency to Magarao to allegedly meet eligibility.
Magarao is a municipality a few minutes from Naga City where Robredo previously held residency.
Naga City is an independent component city, which means that its residents cannot vote for and run as governor. But Robredo earlier said politics has nothing to do with her decision to transfer residency, noting that her voter’s registration is still in Naga City.
The vice president said she has to transfer residency to Magarao because she and her siblings bought a property there after their mother passed away last year.
READ: https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/16/vp-leni-explains-change-of-residency-from-naga-city-to-magarao-camsur/
Andaya, a nemesis of the Villafuerte clan in Camarines Sur, had said he will support Robredo if she runs as governor.
Andaya is a known supporter of presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, who is being pushed to run as president. He said that the rumored tandem between Duterte-Carpio and former Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. is a “done deal.”
Although she lags behind pre-campaign surveys, Robredo remains to be the most formidable opponent of the administration, having been the face of the opposition for the past five years.
She also has the support of opposition coalition 1Sambayan, as well as a number of the Duterte administration’s toughest critics.