VICE PRESIDENT Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo on Sunday said she will continue to unify the opposition to defeat administration bets and prevent the return of the late dictator’s family to Malacañang next year, with less than a week before the start of the filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2022 elections.
Candidates for both national and local posts will have to submit notice of their intent to run before the Commission on Elections within October 1 to 8.
In her weekly radio program, the opposition leader said she will use the next two weeks to pursue her unification efforts before finalizing her decision on whether to mount a presidential bid.
“Perhaps there are some whom we can no longer convince, but as long as there are communication lines open, I will continue to pursue those,” said Ms. Robredo in a mix of English and Filipino.
On Friday, Ms. Robredo assured her supporters that she is aware of the deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy and that she will announce her decision in due time.
The assurance came after her supporters and allies urged her to immediately declare a presidential run as those who have already announced their bid for the presidency do not represent the “true opposition.”
In her radio program, Ms. Robredo said the possible return of the family of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos to the presidential palace and the continuation of the current style of leadership are terrifying scenarios that should not be allowed by Filipinos to happen.
Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr., son of the late dictator, was named presidential nominee on Friday by the party founded by his father.
Ms. Robredo has said she might support a tandem between Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Domagoso III and Mr. Manny Pacquiao if only to end the ruling party’s dominance.
Messrs. Domagoso and Pacquiao have both announced their plan to run for the country’s top post.
Political analyst Maria Ela L. Atienza earlier told BusinessWorld that Ms. Robredo is having a hard time finalizing a presidential run “because it’s very difficult to run a national campaign without a clear and stable support group, machinery and sufficient funds.”
She said Ms. Robredo might need the kind of support that the late President Corazon C. Aquino got from civil society in the 1986 snap elections against the late dictator. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza