Jessica “Aika” Marie G. Robredo (center), the eldest daughter of the late Interior and Local Governments secretary Jesse Robredo and LP vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo during the launching of Cebu for Leni movement. With her is Haley Atienza and lawyer Magdalena Lepiten, both coordinators of the movement. (CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
A network of non-government organizations (NGOs) gathered in Cebu yesterday to launch a campaign movement for Camarines Sur Rep. Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, who’s running for vice president.
Convenors of the movement called “Cebu for Leni” said Robredo greatly needs help since she is a newbie in politics with limited resources and machinery.
“She (Robredo) came to the picture late and she’s not as prepared as the other candidates. Hence, we thought of helping her as volunteers,” said lawyer Magdalena Lepiten, one of the organizers of Cebu for Leni in a press conference at Josh and Matthew’s Cafe in Cebu City yesterday morning.
Among all vice presidential aspirants, Lepiten said Robredo is the most qualified considering her competence, track record, and advocacy for the poor.
She said the group will focus only on Robredo’s candidacy since her running mate Mar Roxas has an established campaign system.
“We will focus our limited resources for Leni only. We believe she’s the right candidate. We want to send a message that politics is not all about money but about credibility and competence,” Lepiten said.
Present during the event was Robredo’s eldest daughter Aika.
“My mom is new to politics and so we need to introduce her to people. And since we’re not allowed to campaign for her yet, our target now is to make people aware about who she is,” Aika told reporters.
Aika, the eldest of Robredo’s three daughters, said they go to all invitations as much as possible so they can introduce their mother to people.
Aika said her mother’s biggest advantage over the other candidates is integrity, credibility, and track record. “It’s easy to say ‘I love the poor’ but it’s different if you would be able to empathize with them. My mom has worked with the poor directly. She has a first-hand experience about how it is to be with them,” she said.