There will be no “Leni Robredo for Senator 2025” rallies or streamers come campaign period because the former vice president has shut down any possibility of joining the senatorial race next year.
Former vice president Leni Robredo (File Photo/MANILA BULLETIN)
In a media interview on Friday, June 21, in her hometown of Naga City, the ex-official confirmed an earlier pronouncement by Liberal Party (LP) President and Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman that she won’t be running as senator.
“Sinarado ko na kaya nagpaalam na ako sa LP. Kaya ako nagpaalam sa LP na hindi na ako tatakbo sa senado (I closed that door already, which is why I informed the LP. I informed the LP that I won’t run for senator),” Robredo said.
“Sinabi ko na ang preference ko ay tatakbo akong alkalde ng Naga, pero kagaya ng sinabi ko, parang hindi makatarungan na hindi ako maayos na nakapagpaalam (I told them my preference is to run as Naga mayor, but like I said, it is not fair if I don’t inform them properly),” she added.
However, the former vice president stressed that she would only make an official announcement once she has fixed and completed all her prior commitments, including informing her Angat Buhay family and finishing some speaking engagements abroad.
“Ang gusto ko sana bago ‘yung announcement, naayos ko na lahat (Before the announcement, I would like to fix everything else first),” Robredo, who graced the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Luisito Occiano at the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, said.
Her discussions with Naga City Mayor Nelson Legacion last April played a big part in her decision to run for the city’s local chief executive position.
Legacion was an appointee of Robredo’s husband, the late former Naga City mayor and interior secretary Jesse Robredo, as city legal officer in 2001.
The former vice president and now Angat Buhay chairman explained that there was a lot to consider in choosing to run as Naga City mayor, including where she will be most needed.
“Maraming kunsiderasyon kung saan ako pinaka kailangan, saan parang pinaka magiging epektibo, ano ang abot ng makakaya ng aking mga resources, maraming kunsiderasyon kaya matagal ang pag desisyon (There are a lot of considerations where I am most needed, where I will be most effective, what my resources could reach, there are a lot to consider, which is why it took me long to decide),” she added.
Robredo, whose 2022 presidential campaign saw an unprecedented number of volunteers who marched in rallies attended by hundreds of thousands, admitted she hasn’t yet been around Naga and still has a lot to learn about and prove to her hometown.
“Kaya ang gusto ko kung magsimula na ako maglibot sa Naga sa preparasyon sa pagtakbo sa Naga, magsimula lang ako kapag na ayos ko na ang lahat at para maging makatarungan ako sa lahat ng maiiwan ko (What I want is before I prepare to run in Naga, I fix everything first so I will be fair to everything I will leave behind),” she said.
The former official’s name has been included in the senatorial preference surveys for 2025, and even placed third in the preferential survey for the 2028 presidential polls.