"True leadership is stepping up and showing up, may eleksyon man o wala, kandidato man o hindi (election season or not, candidate or not)."
This was how aspiring president Vice President Leni Robredo began her closing statement in the KBP Presidential Candidates Forum on Friday, Feb. 4, where she suffered an internet connection problem throughout the forum.
Answering the question why should she be the next President of the Philippines, Robredo pointed out that her tenure as Vice President shows an honest and consistent service, not only through promises but by action.
"Madalas akong sinasabihan, 'Mahina ka kasi babae ka.' Pero ni minsan wala akong hamon na inatrasan, mapa Marawi Siege man, laban kontra sa droga, mga volcanic eruption, mga lindol, lahat ng bagyong dumaan at COVID. Tuwing tayo ay kinakailangan, tayo ay tumitindig, tumutulong, lumalaban (They always say 'you're weak because you're a woman.' But even once, I never backed down in any challenge, may it be Marawi Seige, fight against drugs, volcanic eruption, earthquake, typhoons, and COVID. Every time we are needed, we stand, help, and fight)," she stressed.
The Vice President further said that she is offering a leadership that is honest, good, hardworking, and responsive. A leadership that "will not deceive the people, will not steal from you, will not leave you behind and abandon you."
The aspiring president also said she is ready to face yet another set of challenges the presidency will bring her if she wins as she concluded her statement with her famous line in 2016.
"At ngayong (Now in) 2022, the last man standing will still be a woman," she said.
Shortly after the three-hour forum, which was aired by over 300 TV networks and radio stations nationwide, Robredo apologized for her unstable internet connection.
“I apologize for the bad connectivity during the forum. The fault is all mine. Our team tried hard to convince me to cancel all other engagements today, pero pinilit ko pa din hanapan ng paraan (but I insisted to find ways) to fulfill all our commitments, dahil alam kong naghihintay rin yung mga communities na pupuntahan namin para maihatid yung tulong na pabahay bago mag-start ang campaign period (because I know the communities we have to visit to bring aid before the campaig period starts are waiting)," Robredo explained on Twitter.
I apologize for the bad connectivity during the forum. The fault is all mine. pic.twitter.com/4ivoXZ2Bnv
— Leni Robredo (@lenirobredo) February 4, 2022
She also had to use a landline telephone in order to hear the audio feed from the forum.
Before the forum, the Vice President also bared that she only borrowed an office at the airport where she and her team set up for the virtual forum.