Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday, July 29, revealed that he has not met with Vice President Leni Robredo because she refused to talk about preparing for the 2022 national elections with him.

Robredo, he said, feels that it’s a sin against God if she talks about the upcoming elections amid the coronavirus pandemic that so far, already claimed more than 27,000 lives and plunged the economy into the worst in decades.

The former senator posted about this on his Twitter and Facebook accounts after several netizens asked him to reach out to Robredo first instead of publicly criticizing her for meeting with Senators Richard Gordon, Panfilo Lacson, along with the latter’s running mate Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.

“Simula January, ako/Magdalo (Since January, me/Magdalo), and later on through Tindig Pilipinas, ay nagrerequest ng meeting kay VP Leni para nga masimulan na ang preparation. Subalit, AYAW NYA kaming imeet dahil kasalanan daw sa Diyos na pag-usapan ang 2022 elections habang may pandemya (have requested a meeting with VP Leni to start the preparation. But, she does not like to meet us because it is a sin against God to talk about the 2022 elections while there is a pandemic),” he said.

Trillanes said that he hasn’t texted the vice president directly “for security reasons” and there’s only a representative between them.

He, however, questioned her meeting with Gordon, Lacson, Sotto, as well as former Camarines Sur 1st District Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., who is allegedly supporting Robredo’s possible run as governor in their home province.

READ: Robredo, Lacson discuss ‘broadest possible unity’ for 2022 polls

The vice president repeatedly said she wants to focus first on her office’s pandemic response, and that politics will have to wait. She added that she’s holding “exploratory talks” with different people so to ascertain who among them can join the opposition she wants to unite.

Robredo believes only a united opposition can defeat the administration’s bets next year.

Trillanes, who previously said he wants to run as president, is ready to back down from his plans only if Robredo plans to run as president.

On Wednesday, July 28, he warned that he and the Magdalo Party will withdraw its support of the vice president if she gives way to Lacson, who earlier announced his candidacy for president.

Lawyer Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesman, said during an interview on ANC that the former senator’s concerns “are better addressed with a text message rather than a tweet.”

READ: Trillanes a ‘valued ally’; opposition will work with him — Robredo spox

“He says he considers himself an ally. He has repeatedly said he considers the Vice President the leader of the opposition and that she should run and he will give way as president, and yet every time something like this happens, instead of reaching out to the VP or to anybody within the Liberal Party, he will immediately come up with this kind of declaration,” he added.