Vice President Leni Robredo’s seeming lack of decisiveness to run for president in 2022 is dampening the process of the opposition as many members, particularly those from the once-ruling Liberal Party (LP), are unable to move as they await her decision.
Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV aired this in an interview on ANC over Robredo’s insistence that she can still unite the anti-administration forces, which seemed to be fragmented after the declarations of candidacy made by Senators Panfilo 'Ping' Lacson and Emmanuel 'Manny' Pacquiao, and Manila Mayor Francisco 'Isko Moreno' Domagoso, who was once perceived to be a possible running mate for the vice president.
“We are just moving. The other opposition groups are waiting as well for her decision, for her direction...we have ears on the ground as well. And you can ask some LP insiders that they are not moving, that all of them are waiting for VP Leni,” he said.
In fact, Trillanes revealed that LP, which Robredo chairs, does not even have a campaign manager for the 2022 polls.
The chair of the Magdalo Party expressed his serious reservations about Robredo and her camp for being overconfident with the vice president’s plan to unite the opposition.
“And so nobody is preparing on the ground contrary to the impression that they are creating, that they ready to go. So, what if these unity talks falter, what’s their plan? Are they actually confident or overestimating their capacity to run a national campaign on short notice?,” the former senator asked.
“Vice President Leni Robredo is supposed to be the leader of the opposition. Then, as a leader, she can call, she can summon the different groups, the different opposition leaders, to meet with everyone and tell us about her plans,” he said.
READ: Robredo gives herself until Oct. 8 to decide on presidential bid
Trillanes revealed that his own Magdalo group has been “waiting.”
“We have been asking for that meeting, but she has yet to meet with the different opposition groups,” he revealed.
The former senator said that some LP congressmen have already started joining other presidential candidates while LP senators “have reached out to the other presidentiables.”
“I think her own house is disintegrating while she keeps on saying that she could do better in reaching out to the others. So, we have a problem with that,” he stressed.
Robredo said she is ready to join the presidential race if she is the chosen candidate of a united opposition but also admitted that she’s hopeful to still unite the anti-administration forces since they have not filed their Certificate of Candidacy (COC) yet.
READ: VP Leni gives last-minute appeal, assurances to Isko, Manny
The schedule of the COC filing is set from October 1 to 8, which is barely a week from now.