Elections should be won on good governance, not money – VP Robredo

Elections should be won by delivering good governance, not by spending huge amounts of money, Vice President Leni Robredo said Friday during her keynote address during the graduation rites of the third installment of the Leaders for Excellence and Public Service (LEAP) Mayors’ Fellowship Program.

LEAP was a series of four eight-month-long leadership training modules organized by Kaya Natin! and San Miguel Corporation for incumbent mayors across the country.

During her address, the Vice President recounted that her husband was able to pull off election victories, not because he had a massive campaign war chest, but through his efforts to get the public involved in policy-making decisions and ensuring that government projects addressed the community’s needs.

Robredo took particular note of the establishment of the Naga City People’s Council - an initiative of her late husband, former Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo who was mayor of Naga City for 18 years.

“Sa Naga, kahit walang pera, puedeng manalo; kayang manalo ng eleksyon without spending too much. Ang gastos [mo] lang, iyong pambayad sa watchers, 'yung operational cost ng headquarters, saka pagkain para sa mga volunteers. Pero walang pamigay. Hindi iyan gumagana sa Naga kasi iyong people, empowered,” Robredo said.

“That [people empowerment] is the biggest legacy that my husband left behind. Sana ma-maintain natin ito. The challenge for us is how to make sure na ganito ang ugali ng tao until the end kasi kapag nawala iyon, hindi mo na maibabalik,” Robredo added.

Robredo said that while spending a lot of money was tempting, especially when rival candidates were spending like there was no tomorrow just to get elected, hard times could also result in an opportunity as long as the public servant stayed the course and did what was right.

She shared that as Naga City Mayor, her husband had always been with the opposition, and thus Naga City was deprived of aid from the national government most of the time.

However, Naga survived that storm, among many other storms, because then-Mayor Jesse led by example and implemented merit-based governance, attracting support from international organizations and even the private sector.

“Mayroong mga magagalit, but the lesson is, we should be able to stand our ground in doing the right thing, lalo na sa panahon ng kadiliman,” Robredo said.

“After all, nobody shines when the lights are bright. The bright light shines in the dark,” Robredo added.

There were 23 graduates from LEAP program Year 3 which involved Three Es of leadership: ethical, empowering, and effective, building and strengthening sustainable towns and cities, as well as the sharing of best practices among participants and colleagues.

The 23 mayors, who came from across the country, included Hanna Andres of Rizal, Nueva Ecija; Riza Pamorada of Alcantara, Romblon; Dexter Calizo of Balete, Aklan; Eufracio Dayaday, Jr. of Asuncion, Davao del Norte; Jose San of Allen, Northern Samar, Vicente Jaen II of Leganes, Iloilo, among others. — DVM, GMA News