SOCIAL (DISTANCE) GATHERING - VP Leni Robredo takes time to chat with journalists via Zoom.
Vice President Maria Leonor Gerona Robredo or VP Leni Robredo needs no introduction. She is part of our collective consciousness, whether we like it, or loathe it.
There is Robredo somewhere as an image “breaking” the national narrative. She, according to her words, is an ordinary person comfortable to be boarding the bus home to Naga, but her world—and the situations she had encountered in life—was never ordinary. She was never supposed to be a grieving yet composed widow, a single mother to three accomplished daughters, or the “last woman standing” in a gallery of political heavyweights with surnames that strike fear in the heart of the uninitiated.
But Robredo is here and now, making a (last?) political statement that this is her make-it-or-break-it dash for the presidency. And she plans to win this election not with bravado, but with careful steps of winning hearts and minds, much like she did in 2016.
Meeting Robredo in a Zoom forum for lifestyle editors and writers from different media outfits, of course, will not have the same impact as compared to a personal interview. But I was surprised that she was able to convey a lot of things in such a short time, explain her points clearly, and expound on plans of a Robredo administration, without the clutch of motherhood statements.
I was curious, right there and then, where the accusations of her being nonsensical came from, considering that no answers from her looped with “keywords.” Was it because of the friendly fire from the lifestyle media? Maybe.
She was surprisingly effervescent, not even flinching over questions that needed deeper insights (e.g. someone asked about Marawi or her take on the misogyny in Philippine politics). In fact, I was able to sneak in two questions, which Robredo answered well—one, on qualifications for a Cabinet member (she said: Must not only be good, effective managers but also have integrity; not involved in any form of corruption), and, second, on how she is anticipating the upcoming debates (she said: I would really prefer to have face-to-face debates with the other candidates; also preferable is a debate with an audience because it’s really different when it is just conducted online).
After two hours of a no-break interview, Robredo was able to transform the Q&A into a conversation. Normally, there would be some flubs or “take-two’s” along the way, as I’ve experienced hearing in some interviews with veteran politicians. But there was none, with Robredo navigating topics on a variety of subjects—K-drama, her political role models (she mentioned Germany’s Angela Merkel, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, Taiwan’s Tsai Ing Wen), the choice of pink as political color, her parenting style, plans for the arts and entertainment industry—with such ease, like spreading butter over bread. We learned that she has very normal skincare regimen, and would rather save up on travel than luxury goods.
With this, we now have to wait and see how Robredo would perform in the upcoming presidential debates. The debate would give everyone a fair showcase and break through the barrier of algorithms, paid content, and fake news proliferating all over the online world. She should show that she could unite a very divisive country and has what it takes to lead the nation in these most tumultuous of times.
Robredo has got a hundred days more to go to prove that her administration will be ready at 12:01 p.m. on June 30.