While running for local office is an option

VP Leni says she's open to run for President in 2022 

Vice President Leni Robredo on Saturday, February, 20, said she is open to the possibility of gunning for the presidency in the national elections next year.

Robredo said running for the highest post in the country would be her “default” choice, adding that she also has an obligation at the national level.

“[H]aving said that na mas priority ko iyong lokal, alam kong may obligasyon ako sa national… Alam ko na maraming naghihikayat sa akin, iyong mga kakampi at least naghihikayat sa akin mag-presidente. So, parating iyon pa rin iyong default,” Robredo said in an interview with GMA News at Jesse M. Robredo Foundation Museum in Naga City.

She would choose to serve wherever she is needed, said Robredo, who was a former Camarines Sur representative before she won the vice presidency in 2016.

Asked when she would make her political plans clear, the Vice President said that it might be in September—but that circumstances could still change, as she learned from her experiences leading up to her candidacy for the Vice Presidency in 2016.

“Puwedeng yung circumstances ngayon sa June iba na. So sa akin, siguro earliest na pag-decide September—just before the filing. Pero ako, as of now, open ako sa kahit ano. Ayaw ko naman makipag-away kahit kanino. Pero sa akin, kung saan ako pinakakailangan, doon ako,” she said.

Robredo assured all her supporters that she was weighing the decision very carefully, and that what would be best for all was her foremost consideration.

"So sa akin ganoon naman, pinagdadasal lagi. Pinagdadasal lagi na gabayan tayo sa pagdesisyon. Pero kung ano iyong makakabuti sa lahat—kapag kausap ko naman iyong mga kakampi, iyon iyong parati kong sinasabi na maging bukas tayo sa lahat na possibilities," she said.

Robredo visited Camarines Sur last Friday to visit the site of her office’s second BAHAYanihan initiative in Lupi town, which aims to build houses for families there who were affected by the recent typhoons. On Saturday, she met with members of Naga City People’s Council (NCPC), which was formed during the term of her husband late Jesse Robredo to give voice to basic sectors, to assess the priorities and plans of the council.

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