Fake news, disinformation, and the threat of the return of rotten politics that plundered the country in the past are the reasons Vice President Leni Robredo cited why she decided to seek the country’s highest post.
Robredo said during CNN’s “The Filipino Votes: Presidential Debate” on Sunday, Feb. 27, that she never intended to run as president because she promised her daughters that the 2016 polls was the last time their family will go through an election.
“Pero 'yung 2016 until 2021, nakita natin kung papano niyurakan ng fake news, ng disinformation ang propaganda 'yung mga paniniwala, mga mindsets ng napakaraming Pilipino (But from 2016 until 2021, we saw how fake news, disinformation and propaganda wrecked the beliefs and mindsets of so many Filipinos),” she said.
“At dahil disinformation propaganda 'yung namayani, talagang 'yung threat na 'yung pagbabalik ng klase ng politika na puno ng korupsyon, 'yung klase ng politika na nagdala sa atin ng (And because disinformation propaganda prevailed, there is really a threat of the return of the kind of politics full of corruption, the kind of politics that brought us) plunder in the past,” she added.
Though she didn’t mention names, she had said in the past that the candidacy of former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pushed her to seek the presidency.
READ: Robredo explains why she is angry at Marcos
The Vice President explained that to fulfill her promise to her daughters, she tried to unite the opposition, but she failed to do it.
“Sinubukan ko na ayain 'yung halos lahat na i-set aside 'yung aming mga hindi pagkakaintindihan o pagkakaiba ng plano para mag-usap-usap pero hindi ako naging matagumpay kaya kumandidato ako (I tried to invite almost everyone to set aside our misunderstandings or differences in plans to talk but I wasn’t successful so I run),” she said.
Robredo has met with Senators Panfilo Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno to try to come up with a united candidate for the non-administration personalities. They all ended up running for president.
Meanwhile, Robredo said that should she win, her first Executive Order would be a full disclosure on all government offices and instrumentalities to “make public” all transactions entered into by such offices and agencies.
“Hindi po ito enough, pero important first step ito para iparamdam natin sa ating mga kababayan na seryoso tayong lilinisin at aayusin natin ang pamamahala (This is not enough, but it’s an important first step to make our people feel that we are serious to clean and fix our government),” she stressed.
To prove her commitment to clean the government, Robredo added she will make sure to appoint “matino at mahusay (decent and excellent)” public servants.
“Pag nakita po 'yung tao na seryoso tayo sa ating pangako, ang tao magiging inspired, makakamtan po natin 'yung lahat na pangarap natin pag katuwang natin 'yung ating mga kababayan sa pagpanday ng magandang bukas para sa ating lahat (When the people see that we are serious in our promise, the people will be inspired, we will reach all our dreams when the people are with us in creating a good future for all of us),” she said.