For presidential aspirant and Vice President Leni Robredo, the May 2022 polls are neither about her nor her competitors in the Palace race.
Instead, it's about the collective dream of Filipinos who simply want to survive for their loved ones and have a better future.
“The 2022 elections is not just any other election, because what is at stake are the lives of the Filipino people—the lives of our children and the generations that will come after,” she said in her opening statement at the Philippine Business Conference and Expo (PBC&E) Presidentiables’ Forum on Thursday, Nov. 18.
“We are fighting for their children, their loved ones, their communities, the whole country. For many Filipinos, this is not a matter of personalities; this is a matter of survival,” Robredo added.
Noting that Filipinos “are all on the same side” and bound by the “same dreams,” the Vice President said that each Filipino “has the power to bring significant change and build a better future for our country".
She lamented “the lack of good governance” that pushed many people down and the lies that are "at the root of many of our problems".
The aspiring president noted that while Filipinos are trying to stay afloat, billions of pesos are lost due to “questionable transactions in government", adding that “countless lives are lost due to corrupt and incompetent governance.”
READ: Economic recovery is top priority under her presidency, Robredo assures business sector
Robredo participated in the PBC&E Presidentiables’ Forum along with other presidential bets Manila Mayor Isko Moreno; and Senators Bong Go, Manny Pacquiao, and Panfilo Lacson.
Presidential aspirant and former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was absent during the forum hosted by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).
Robredo emphasized the importance of freeing the country from the ills brought about by corruption and incompetence. She stressed that the government should be “honest and accountable", and put the interest of the people “front and center".
“With this kind of governance in place, imagine how much loss we could have avoided; how much progress we could have gained; how many more lives we could have saved,” she added.