Former vice president Leni Robredo and ex-senator Bam Aquino have seemingly switched roles as Robredo becomes an active campaigner for Aquino’s senatorial bid in the upcoming midterm polls in May.
(From left) Former vice president Leni Robredo and ex-senator Bam Aquino greet netizens in a Facebook livestream in Naga City on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Robredo)
In a Facebook Live, she promised to be “all out” in her support for Aquino’s candidacy, rallying her supporters to back his senate comeback.
To recall, Aquino was supposed to run for the Senate in the 2022 national elections but backed out because Robredo asked him to stand as her campaign manager for the presidential race.
The two were seen in a Facebook Live on the former vice president’s page on Tuesday night, Jan. 14. Aquino visited Robredo’s hometown of Naga City after a speaking engagement at Bicol University in Albay.
"Hindi pa pwede magkampanya ngayon. Pero sa February 11, start na. Start na ng kampanya. Talagang all-out tayo, sa mga dati po nating mga kasamahan during the campaign (We cannot campaign yet. But on February 11, we will start. The campaign will start. We will be really all out, to our our supporters during the previous campaign)," Robredo said.
The former vice president, who rallied millions of her supporters during the 2022 campaign in what were dubbed “pink rallies,” is now seeking the mayorship of Naga City.
While Aquino is younger than her, Robredo said she sees him as a “kuya (older brother)” because he took care of her during the campaign.
“Mas bata pa siya sa akin, pero kuya na ang tingin ko sa kanya kasi noong national elections, siya ang nag-asikaso. Alam ko kung gaano kabuting tao, alam ko kung gaano kagaling (He is younger than me, but I see him as an older brother because during the national elections, he took care of us. I know he is a good person, I know how competent he is),” Robredo shared.
“Sabi ko sa kanya, gagawin ko ang lahat para matulungan siya sa eleksiyon (I told him I will do anything to help him in the elections),” she added.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the former senator posted a photo with Robredo.
“Siyempre hindi kumpleto ang pagbisita sa Bicol ngayong araw kung di ko dadalawin si Atty. Leni Robredo para sa masarap na kwentuhan, sa laging nakakabusog na dinner, at ang na-miss namin gawin- ang mag-shoutout sa inyo sa FB Live (Of course, our trip to Bicol today will not be complete without visiting Atty. Leni Robredo for a good chit-chat, filling dinner, and what we missed the most doing—to do shoutouts in FB Live),” he wrote.
Aquino has been consistent in topping youth senatorial preferential surveys and was also in the Magic 12 of a recently held national survey for senators.