Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday, August 8, stood firm in her intention to unite the opposition ahead of the 2022 polls as she assured that she will fight until the end should she run for the presidency.
Speaking on her weekly radio show, Robredo made known her self-imposed deadline of deciding on her possible electoral bid until October 8, the last day of the filing of the Certificates of Candidacy (COCs).
“Hindi naman pwedeng magdedesisyon ako ngayon tapos nakita ko mahirap pala, aatras ako. Sa akin, kung magdedesisyon ako, papanindigan ko iyon (I can’t make a decision now, then I saw it may be hard, I will back out. For me, if I decide, I will stand by it),” she said.
“Pagpaalala din na iyong filing ng candidacy mga two months from now, and konektado din dito sa pandemic kung gaano kahalaga na magkaisa kami. Kasi pinapakita ng pandemic kung gaano kahalaga na mahusay iyong gobyerno niya (The filing of candidacy two months from now is also reminder that it’s also connected with the pandemic and it’s important we unite. Because the pandemic shows how important the government must be good),” she added.
Robredo made the statement after Senator Panfilo Lacson said last week that she “resisted” his “unification formula” for the upcoming elections during their initial talks.
In her response to Lacson’s claim, the vice president revealed that the senator proposed that all potential oppostion bets file their certificates of candidacy. Then, at a “certain time before the elections,” the rest of the candidates will withdraw in favor of the “best” contender based on survey ratings.
READ: ’I can’t leave after declaring candidacy'; Robredo explains in her reply to Lacson
The vice president said she pushed back against the idea because “I don’t want to lead on our supporters who I believe will be there until the end only to withdraw due to dismal numbers.”
While Robredo disagreed with Lacson’s offer, she added she would continue with her decision-making process as well as finding the “best formula” to build a broader coalition that will boost the opposition’s chances next year.
Part of this has been reaching out to other potential 2022 bets to find “commonalities” on issues wherein they can agree on.
READ: Robredo in ‘exploratory talks’ with other potential bets
The opposition leader said she understands why Lacson came up with an “out-of-the-box” formula to forge a coalition with them.
“Hindi ako nawawalan ng pag-asa na maghanap pa kasi proposal lang naman iyon (I am not losing hope to find more ways because that was just a proposal),” Robredo said.