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Manila Bulletin

Philippines

VP Leni to run for president as independent, and not under Liberal Party

Philippines

VP Leni to run for president as independent, and not under Liberal Party

By Raymund Antonio

Despite being chairperson of the once-ruling Liberal Party (LP), Vice President Leni Robredo will be running as an independent candidate.

Vice President Leni Robredo, accompanied by her daughters Aika and Tricia Robredo, filed her certificate of candidacy for president on October 7, 2021. (OVP)

This was confirmed by her spokesman, lawyer Barry Gutierrez, on Thursday, October 7, shortly after she filed her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in Pasay City.

It is not clear why the vice president chose to run as an independent candidate, but Gutierrez said she will explain this during her press conference on Friday, Oct. 8.

READ: ‘Buong-buo ang loob ko’: Robredo announces bid for presidency

Robredo is the chairperson of LP because she is the highest elected member of the opposition party.

Her LP membership, however, has been the vice president’s weakest link with detractors calling her “dilawan” (yellow), the color most associated with democracy icons Corazon “Cory” Aquino and Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and used by the Duterte administration to refer to their critics.

The LP is also the party of the late former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Duterte’s predecessor. LP members held key positions in government when Aquino was in power, but they jumped to Duterte’s PDP-Laban when he won in 2016.

Robredo declared her presidential bid on Thursday, Oct. 7. Hours after, she filed her COC before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) at Sofitel Tent. She was accompanied by her daughters Aika and Tricia.

READ: Robredo files COC for president

She signed the 2022 election integrity pledge then immediately headed for the exit. Unlike other candidates, she did not make a speech after she filed her COC.

Related Tags

VP Leni Robredo 2022 elections independent candidate 2022 polls Liberal Party COC filing

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