Vice President and presidential aspirant Leni Robredo has named 11 candidates of the opposition senatorial slate for the May 2022 polls Friday, Oct. 15.
Robredo identified the first 11 senatoriables as former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Senator Risa Hontiveros, Senator Leila de Lima, human rights lawyer Jose Manuel 'Chel' Diokno, former Ifugao representative Teodoro Baguilat Jr., Alex Lacson of Kapatiran Party, Senator Richard Gordon, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, Sorsogon Governor Francis "Chiz" Escudero, Senator Joel Villanueva, and former Vice President Jejomar Binay.
While the opposition's senatorial slate is a mix of allies, a former vice president and senators, including some rivals-turned-allies, Robredo believes that her senatorial ticket is consistent with her vision to unify as many sectors as possible.
"This is just consistent (with) what we have been pushing for a very long time already even during the time that I wasn't a candidate yet and I wasn't planning to run yet for the presidency, kabahagi na ito ng ating pinaghihirapan (this is already part of what we are working on)-- to unify as many people as possible coming from diverse backgrounds hindi lang sa politika pero paminsan kahit sa paniniwala (not just in politics but also in beliefs)," the vice president said.
"And that's the reason why I run as an independent. Yung panaginip talaga namin mailagay sa isang samahan yung mga handang makiisa (Our dream it to unify all those who are willing to be united)," she added.
The 12th senatoriable to complete the opposition's line-up is yet to be named but Robredo said they are still in the process of selecting among five nominees.
"Ayaw naming i-rush kasi yung pagpipilian naman ay nakapaghain naman ng certificate of candidacy (We don't want to rush it because our choices have filed their certificate of candidacy anyway). It's just a matter of choosing who among them. Kailangan iproseso, ayaw naming madaliin (We need to process it, we don't want to rush it)," Robredo said.
The presidential aspirant also said they want the 12th candidate who will "best represent the marginalized sectors."
Robredo confirmed that among the choices for the 12th spot in her senatorial ticket are former Rep. Neri Colmenares of Bayan Muna and Sonny Matula of Nagkaisa and the Federation of Free Workers.