Presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo's camp is hopeful that the support given by economists to her candidacy would inspire more people to follow suit.
On Friday, Feb. 11, more than 130 Filipino economists released a statement expressing full support for Robredo’s presidential bid. At least seven former Socio-economic Planning Secretaries and heads of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) signed the statement.
Robredo’s Spokesperson Barry Gutierrez said the economists' declaration of support is a boost to the Vice President's bid as they hope that it would translate to more backing from others.
“They are all very capable and well-respected individuals who have devoted a good part of their lives working for government. That they believe VP Leni should be the country’s next President because of her leadership and her qualifications is a boost for the campaign," Gutierrez said.
"We hope this can inspire and encourage others to support her presidential bid,” he added.
The group said that aside from being a trained economist and lawyer, who has devoted herself to giving legal aid to the poorest of the poor, Robredo has a “proven track record of hands-on leadership and good governance, as evidenced by the efficient and responsive programs of the Office of the Vice President throughout the pandemic.”
“We believe that VP Leni Robredo is our best hope to turn the tide and bring back the people’s trust in government in order to restore and sustain vigor to people’s lives and livelihoods at the soonest possible time,” the economists said.
They approved of the Robredo's Kalayaan sa COVID (Freedom from COVID) Plan, describing it as a “coherent and comprehensive” document, emphasizing that the country’s economy can only recover if the government will focus on a systematic pandemic response.
Among the former Socio-economic Planning Secretaries who signed the endorsement were Solita “Winnie” Collas-Monsod, Emmanuel F. Esguerra, Dante Canlas, Cielito Habito, and Ernesto Pernia, who was NEDA chief under the Duterte administration.
Others who signed the statement were Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, a PhD graduate and former professor at the University of the Philippines School of Economics, and Diwa C. Guinigundo, a former deputy governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
This came after 47 more retired military officials, diplomats, and career government officials, mostly from the administration of the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, joined their colleagues in endorsing Robredo for President on Feb. 8, the official start of campaign period.
Earlier this month, nearly a hundred former government officials, career diplomats, and four retired military chiefs under the Aquino presidency backed Robredo’s candidacy.
READ MORE: Robredo's candidacy backed by 95 former Cabinet members, AFP officials, ambassadors
The Cabinet members under the administration of former President Fidel V. Ramos had also endorsed a Robredo presidency.