A message to poll rivals?: Robredo says she thrives when underestimated
Presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo has no problem with being underestimated for her gender, saying she thrives in such situations.
“Para sa akin, lagi akong (For me, I am always) underestimated. And ‘yun talaga ang (that’s really my) strength ko, strength ko sya (it’s my strength) not only as candidate pero kahit noong VP ako (but even when I was VP),” she said Saturday, Feb. 5 on Rated Korina’s “Upuan ng Katotohanan: The 2022 Presidential Special.”
She noted that being underestimated by the people actually helped her make the right choices.
“Pero dahil sa pag-underestimate sa akin nakabwelo kaming gumawa ng palagay namin tama (But because they underestimate me, we were able to do what we think is right),” Robredo, the lone female presidential candidate, stressed.
While some of her critics think the Vice President is “weak” because of her gender, she noted in previous interviews that being a women is not a determinant to one’s character.
READ: Robredo hits critics calling her weak because she is a woman
Despite usually being the recipient of President Duterte’s harsh words, Robredo managed to turn the Office of the Vice President (OVP) into an advocacy-driven office that initiates poverty alleviation programs.
She maintained that she is the same “Leni” when her husband, the late former Interior secretary Jesse Robredo, was still alive; when she won as congresswoman; and when she emerged victorious in the 2016 vice presidential race.
The aspiring president said that if something did change, iit's that she’s more determined now in the face of difficulties.