Despite the initial misgivings he and his family have about running for vice president in the 2022 polls, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said on Sunday, October 10, that he’s doing this for the next generation.
“Kung ito ang laban ng ating henerasyon at dun sa mga nakikinig, kung kayo’y naniniwala ito ang laban ng ating henerasyon, eh ano pa choice natin? Tumaya na tayo, ilaban na natin....At least, masasabi natin kasagsagan nung krisis nanindigan tayo, tumaya tayo at gumawa tayo ng paraan (If this is the fight of our generation and to those who are listening, if you believe this is the fight of our generation, what else is our choice? Let’s bet on it, let’s fight... At least, we can say that during the crisis, we took a stand, we took a bet, and we did something),” the senator said.
Pangilinan, the running mate of Robredo, guested on the latter’s weekly radio show over dzXL.
“Pagkatapos nito, ipapasa natin sa ating mga anak sa susunod na henerasyon (After this, we are going to pass this on to our children in the next generation),” Pangilinan, who is also the president of the once-ruling Liberal Party (LP), added.
The senator recognized the privilege he has to be in a position to “do something about it.”
READ: Kiko Pangilinan is Robredo’s vice presidential pick; Bam Aquino named campaign manager
“It is really very difficult when we make these decisions that affect our loved ones but sabi ko nga (as I said) and in the end, sabi ko rin (I also said), Ma’am (Robredo), naisip ko (I thought) I happened to be in a position to do something about it and therefore, I will do it,” Pangilinan said.
His eldest daughter, Frankie, took the decision the hardest.
Pangilinan said Frankie, who is currently in New York to study, didn’t want him to run as vice president since the original plan was for him to seek reelection.
But after “praying about it,” his daughter already accepted the decision.
Pangilinan agreed that Jillian, Robredo’s daughter who is in her senior year at the New York University, and Frankie should meet to share their “heartaches.”
READ: Jillian Robredo, Frankie Pangilinan to help campaign for parents while studying in US
The vice president shared on Saturday, Oct. 9, a photo of Frankie and Jillian who met in New York after their parents formalized their run for two of the highest positions in the country in the 2022 elections.
Robredo earlier said that it was also Jillian, her youngest, who took the news the hardest because she was not in the country to be with her mother.
It turned out that Jillian already knew about her mother’s decision four days before the announcement last Oct. 7, while Frankie learned about it two days before news came out that Pangilinan agreed to be Robredo’s vice presidential running mate.
Although the vice president believes the senator is the “perfect fit” to be her running-mate, she told him during the radio show that she would’ve understood if he told her no.
Pangilinan earlier said he couldn’t say no to Robredo because she didn’t shy away from her responsibilities when they asked her to run. He added that his wife, actress Sharon Cuneta, was also partial to the vice president.