Leni Robredo: Political newbie with an edge

Rep. Leni Robredo addresses mixed groups in the USC law building in Cebu City. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

Rep. Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo  may be a newbie in politics.

But the Liberal Party vice presidential candidate  has had  deep  experience  in working with the urban poor and other marginalized sectors.

“All my life has been devoted to helping  farmers, fisher folk, and the urban poor. I think this will be an advantage because I know their predicament. I believe this experience  will help,” she said in an interview in Cebu City.

Rep. Leni Robredo holds up a copy of the agenda of different sectors including the urban poor, youths, BPO workers and farmers. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

The Camarines Sur representative spent the day in various  meetings and forums even as she clarified that she didn’t visit to ask Cebuanos for votes.

“The campaign period has not yet begun but I need your help. Not many people know who I am. And so for now, please introduce me to your friends and family,” she said.

Robredo said she didn’t want to be a traditional politician and prefers to  ask for support personally.

“I would like to be as genuine as possible. I don’t like being packaged into this or that. I want you to see who I really am, not the write-ups or commercials  that you read or see,” she said in Filipino.

“I don’t like any sugar-coating. If you accept me, thank you. If you won’t, then I can’t do  anything about it,” she added.

Robredo said Cebu was  special to her because her late husband, former  Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, spent some of his last hours in Cebu.

She said she’s grown attached to Consolacion, having visited the town more than twice this year. Her husband had come from Consolacion town on the day he died. The late secretary was on his way home to Naga from Cebu when his chartered plane crashed off Masbate in August 2012.

Speaking to about 300 members of urban poor groups and civil society in Cebu City yesterday, Robredo stressed the need to empower  Filipinos by giving them the chance to speak up and be part of the process of crafting government policies.

“Everywhere I go, I want as much as possible to meet civil society because my whole life has been spent with these people,” she said in Filipino.

“I’ve always been a believer of empowering people by giving them the voice from the planning stage to the implementation of a program to evaluation, and even up to monitoring,” she added.

Robredo was joined by former senator Francis Pangilinan in a dialog with marginalized groups at the University of San Carlos (USC) audio visual room yesterday morning.

Before her speech, Robredo listened to the wish lists and queries of representatives of the urban poor, youths, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT), business process outsourcing workers, women, farmers, and environmentalists.

She asked her staff to take note of some queries so she could send her response later.

The concern of informal settlers who are threatened by demolition is not new to Robredo, who also visited the 6.5-hectare relocation site in barangay Paknaan in Mandaue City for displaced families yesterday afternoon.

She vowed to push for housing programs for the urban poor.

In Naga City, where her late husband Jesse served as mayor, Robredo said informal settlers are provided with relocation sites with access to livelihood sources.

“Housing was my husband’s flagship project. He created his own model, where  informal settlers are treated not as beneficiaries but as partners in development,” she told reporters after visiting the site.

Earlier at the USC, Robredo stressed the need to train the youth to become future leaders even if they do not become politicians.

Present during her meeting with the marginalized sectors were former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena, Councilor Alvin Dizon, and former Cebu City administrator Bimbo Fernandez of Pagtambayayong Foundation.

In another talk with USC students, she highlighted the importance of  participatory governance.

“In traditional governance, one is elected and then he or she governs. In participatory governance, even after elections, he or she still allows people to participate,” she said.

A good government, Robredo said, is open to people’s insights and suggestions.

“It’s easy to discuss something when there are just few people. On the other hand, if you include many individuals, there will be a clash of ideas. But I  still prefer the latter because I believe the best solution to our problems still comes from the ground. No one knows the answer except those who experience the problem,” she said.

Robredo, a lawyer by profession, is part of the Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panlegal (Saligan), a non-governmental organization for members of the marginalized sector in Bicol.