With less than a day until she becomes private citizen Leni Robredo, the outgoing Vice President shared what will take up most of her time once she steps down from power at noon tomorrow, June 30.
Although she’s looking forward to launching Angat Buhay NGO on July 1 and 2 (Friday and Saturday), she shared that actually watching Korean dramas and reading books are the other things she’s most excited about.
“So parati kong sinasabi na (I’m always saying that) after tomorrow, makakapanood na ako ulit ng (I can watch) K-drama. After tomorrow, mababasa ko na ‘yung lahat na librong naghihintay basahin (I can read all the books that are waiting to be read),” Robredo shared, adding that she has mixed feelings about leaving because she will miss the people in her office.
But she also said it’s “very liberating” for her to know that she can take a vacation any time she wants, and that she does not need to wake up very early in the morning or study at night before going to sleep.
READ: VP Leni hooked on K-dramas
“Ngayon, nae-excite ako na ako na ulit ‘yung magda-drive sa sarili ko. Nae-excite ako na kapag lalarga ako wala na masyadong protocols. Nae-excite ako sa wala nang convoy (I am excited to drive for myself. I am excited to go without many protocols. I am excited not to have a convoy),” she added.
As vice president, she wasn’t able to go her own way for the last six years because her security team needs to be informed of her whereabouts.
Robredo has no qualms about losing these “privileges” because since she won as a congresswoman in 2013, she told herself that any privilege that comes with the position was only temporary.
It also helped that she was a development worker, which is something she would use in bringing to life the Angat Buhay NGO, a continuation of the anti-poverty advocacies she started at the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
READ: What to expect from the Angat Buhay NGO launch on July 1
This had been her plan since losing the May 2022 presidential elections to President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which is something she does not regret.
“If I have to do it all over again, knowing what the results will be, I will still do it,” Robredo stressed.
Aside from her Angat Buhay NGO, the outgoing Vice President will also be busy helping lead the fight against disinformation.
While she will let others do the technical aspect of fighting against fake news and disinformation because they have more expertise, Robredo shared that she’ll be at the “back end” since she wants to “bring everyone to the same table.”
“Hindi siya pwede iyong ginagawa ngayon na kanya-kanyang (It cannot be like what we’re doing now to each his own) effort dahil hindi natin kakayanin iyong (because we cannot take on the) machinery,” she said, criticizing the money being spend on trolling and propaganda.
READ: Robredo to continue fight vs disinformation after leaving office
The outgoing Vice President warned that if the public lets it happen, the results of the elections will be the same every single time, where those with money can twist the truth.
“So kailangan magkaisa na iyong taumbayan para salbahin ‘yung ating demokrasya. Kasi kung wala tayong gagawin, gigising tayo na isang umaga, nare-realize natin na wala na. Wala na ‘yung mga freedoms na pinaglaban natin (the people need to united to salvage our democracy. Because if we don’t do anything, we will wake up one morning to realize that we lost all the freedoms we fought for) for a very long time,” she said.