If Vice President Leni Robredo doesn’t file her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for the presidency by 12 noon of October 8, the last day of the filing, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV will take his chances in representing the “true opposition.”
Trillanes, who lost to Robredo in the 2016 vice presidential race, has previously expressed his intention to run for president but paused his plans to give way to the latter to seek the country’s highest post.
But recent development in the opposition, particularly within the ranks of the coalition 1Sambayan, may be forcing Trillanes, one of President Duterte’s most impassioned critics, to run as president.
“Tuloy ang pagtulak natin kay (We continue to urge) VP Leni to run for President. Kung tumuloy sya, ipanalo natin sya (If she will push through, we will ensure her win),” Trillanes said in a Facebook post.
READ: Robredo gives herself until Oct. 8 to decide on presidential bid
“Pero kung 'di pa rin sya makapagdesisyon (But if she still cannot decide) by 12nn of October 8, tuloy na po ako ng pagka-presidente. 'Di po natin hahayaang matalo ang TUNAY na OPOSISYON nang 'di man lang lumaban (I will run as president. We will not allow the true opposition to lose without putting up a fight),” he wrote.
Trillanes is one of 1Sambayan’s nominees for president, but he wants to give way to Robredo if she decided to heed her supporters’ calls.
However, both 1Sambayan and Robredo are pushing for more unity talks with “anti-administration forces” such as Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Senator Manny Pacquiao.
READ: 1Sambayan says unity talks ongoing with a week to go before COC filing starts
Trillanes took offense to this as he said colluding with Pacquiao and Moreno, both perceived to be enablers of the Duterte administration, will dilute the message of the opposition.