IF SHE becomes vice president, Rep. Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo promised to collaborate with whoever wins the presidency.
“Part of the job description of a vice president is to have the same level of commitment to whoever is president,” she said in a press conference at the Parklane Hotel in Cebu City shortly before a political rally of the Liberal Party at the Capitol started.
“And so, whoever will win the presidential race, I’ll give the same level of commitment I give to Secretary Mar,” she added.
But if she were to choose, Robredo said she wants former Interior secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II to become the next president.
“Mas madali ang buhay ko kung si Secretary Mar ang mananalo. Kasi in my heart and mind, siya kasi yong pinaka-qualified. (It would be easier on my part if Secretary Mar wins. In my heart and mind, he’s the most qualified among the presidentiables),” she said.
Robredo has taken the lead in the Social Weather Stations preelection survey, climbing seven percentage points in the April 18-20 period to topple Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., whose voter preference rating slipped to 25 percent from 26 percent.
Roxas, on the other hand, remained fourth among the presidentiables.
Robredo said she didn’t want to be complacent.
“I have to work harder. Now that the election day is near, a lot of money will be given to the electorate by other candidates. I don’t do that. All I have is hard work and the commitment to reach the goal,” she said.
If elected, Robredo said her brand of governance would be participatory and inclusive.
“It’s not just to rule but to establish a relationship with the citizenry. We need to have a change in mindset. Ordinary people should be included in whatever the government decides,” she said.
But if she does not win, Robredo said she will accept the decision of the electorate.
“I won’t have second thoughts of going back to where I started. I spent almost my entire life as an ordinary citizen,” she said.
Robredo was elected congresswoman of Camarines Sur’s third district only in 2013, after her husband, the late Interior secretary Jesse Robredo, died in a plane crash in 2012.
She said being in government gives her an opportunity to serve more people.
“I’ll be able to help a lot of people if I have a position in government. I know I’ll disappoint many people from different sectors if I don’t win. I understand they are expecting a lot from me,” Robredo said.