A decade ago, running for any elective post was the farthest from Vice President Leni Robredo’s mind. But she went on and won a seat in the House of Representatives in 2013, and even moved on to the Quezon City Reception Hall in 2016 after being sworn in as Vice President. 

The question now is, can hard work—visiting far-flung areas and holding consultative talks with residents—do it again? Will the tides turn in her favor once more?

The Vice President has a proven track record in governance, getting her office ISO-certified and rated highest by the Commission on Audit (COA). But that didn’t stop her political enemies and detractors from belittling her efforts, and dismissing her as nothing but a nuisance. 

But as many people in the past decade already knew, Robredo never backed down from a fight. She saw every battle through, including losing the love of her life former interior and local government secretary Jessie, and facing formidable political enemies -- the Villafuertes of Camarines Sur and the Marcoses of Ilocos. 

This year, the Vice President finally decided to heed her supporters’ call, and throw her hat into the presidential race to face, once more, former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. 

Winning the vice presidency ‘three times’

On February 16, the Supreme Court, sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), unanimously junked Marcos’ electoral protest because of lack of merit. 

This proved to be the final blow to the former senator’s electoral protest, which ran for almost five years. 

It can be remembered that he also lost the recount of the three pilot provinces in 2019. Robredo even gained 15,000 more votes. 

The Vice President was able to breathe a sigh of relief after the protest was put to rest, though her detractors showed no signs of slowing down.

“Hindi ko alam kung lalala pa, kasi ‘di ba since 2016 naman bugbog na bugbog na tayo. Pero iyon nga eh. Para sa akin, isang malaking gift na, saka isang malaking blessing na kahit grabe, ganito kagrabe iyong attacks, more than majority pa din iyong naniniwala sa atin (I do not know if it will get worse because since 2016, we’ve been attacked. But that’s it. For me, this is a gift and one big blessing because despite the gravity of the attacks, more than the majority still believe in us),” she said. 

She added that she considers it a miracle that people still support and believe in her despite the lies spewed about the legitimacy of her mandate as the country’s second-highest official.

“Tingin ko iyon iyong miracle eh: na lahat na kasalanan ay pinaako na sa akin—buti hindi natin inako—pero mayroon pa ding mga naniniwala. At hindi iyon naging sagabal para magawa natin nang maayos iyong ating trabaho (I think that is the miracle: that I was made responsible for all the sins—it’s a good thing we didn’t budge—but there are still who believed in us),” Robredo said.

Time to take the plunge

In February 2021, rumors started to swirl that Robredo was aiming to run for governor in her home province Camarines Sur. She denied it that time, but later on admitted that it was part of her original plan for 2022.

At the same time, Robredo started to talk with other possible candidates about coming up with a unity ticket against perceived administration bets Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and Marcos. 

“Sa gitna ng maraming haka haka, uulitin ko lang ang ilang beses ko na ring sinabi: Wala pang desisyon na ako'y tatakbong gobernador. Nananatili akong bukas na maging kandidato sa pagka Pangulo (In the midst of many speculations, I will repeat something I have said a lot of times: I have not made the decision to run as governor. I remain open to be a candidate for the presidency),” she said in a Facebook post.

By the start of the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) on October 1, there was still no word on who the opposition would field. Robredo, being the leader of the opposition, was under the spotlight as she held last-minute meetings with political allies to help with her decision.

On October 7, Thursday, Robredo announced that she will throw her hat in the presidential race, ending months of speculations as to who will be the standard-bearer of the opposition.

“Buong buo ang loob ko ngayon, kailangan natin palayain ang sarili mula sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon. Lalaban ako. Lalaban tayo. Inihahain ko ang aking sarili bilang kandidato sa pagkapangulo sa halalan ng 2022 (My resolve is firm, we need to free ourselves from the current situation. I will fight. We will fight. I am offering myself as a candidate for the presidency in the elections in 2022),” she announced live via Facebook from her office at the Quezon City Reception Hall. 

“Naniniwala ako: Ang pag-ibig, nasusukat hindi lang sa pagtitiis, kundi sa kahandaang lumaban, kahit gaano kahirap, para matapos na ang pagtitiis. Ang nagmamahal, kailangang ipaglaban ang minamahal (I believe: Love cannot be measured by sacrifice alone, but also on one’s readiness to fight, no matter how hard, to end the suffering. Those who love must fight for those whom one loves),” Robredo added.

Even more surprising was the fact that she filed her COC as an independent candidate, and not under the Liberal Party (LP) which she continues to chair. 

The day after, Robredo accompanied Senator Kiko Pangilinan, president of LP, to file his COC for vice president. 

Pink movement

When she announced her candidacy, Robredo was wearing a blue blouse with a pink ribbon pin. Supporters outside her office and those waiting for the announcement at home were also wearing pink.

When the day ended, she topped Twitter’s trending topic worldwide with the hashtag #LabanLeni2022 having almost 400,000 tweets. Domestically, the words pink, and “Lalaban tayo (We will fight)” also trended on the top spots.

“Hindi namin ito inaasahan. Parang ito iyong affirmation na siguro tama naman ‘yung desisyon na ginawa natin. Iyon talaga ‘yun dasal natin (We were not expecting this. It’s an affirmation that I made the right decision. That’s our prayer), in the last week or so,” Robredo said. 

This was just the beginning because a few days after she announced her candidacy, volunteers and supporters mobilized to have lugaw-feeding initiatives in their barangays and pink parades they called Caravan of Hope in various provinces. 

Many finally found their voice for Robredo that homes during this Christmas season were decked with pink parols and pink-themed Christmas tree. 

As the aspiring president visited provinces and cities to thank supporters, inaugurated headquarters, and attended official activities, her volunteers did the work on the ground. They talked with non-Robredo supporters, convincing them to join this pink movement.

Indeed, Robredo’s campaign has turned into what she calls a people’s movement.

Can Robredo do a repeat of her 2016 elections victory?

“Sabi ng iba, ‘noong tumakbo ka nga as VP, wala ka ding resources.’ Iba po iyong pag-VP, kasi iyong VP, mayroon tayong presidente na magdadala sa atin. Kaya ito, Malou, kung mag-run ako ng presidente, ako iyong magdadala, ako iyong magdadala ng organisasyon. Kailangan ng resources iyon (Others are saying ‘when you run for VP, you don’t have resources, too.’ Running as VP is different. There’s a president who will shoulder you. This one, Malou, if I will run as president, I will be the one to shoulder, I will shoulder the organization. That needs resources),” she told veteran journalist Malou Mangahan in “The Mangahas Interview” last March.

She stressed that LP, under which she ran for vice president alongside former Senator Mar Roxas as the standard-bearer, had already been decimated. 

Robredo isn’t taking chances. She knows what she’s up against. She understands the power of the Marcoses, having faced their might for the past five years through recounts and electoral protests. 

The latest Pulse Asia survey showed Marcos with a 33-point lead over Robredo. It’s a steep climb for the Vice President and her army of pink-clad volunteers, but she has gone a long way from her years as a SALIGAN (Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal) lawyer, and has proven her mettle enough to win over 14 million voters in 2016.