Opposition groups vow to campaign for Robredo after VP joined presidential race

Anti-administration groups on Thursday vowed to campaign for Vice President Leni Robredo after she announced her entry into the 2022 presidential race.

1Sambayan, the opposition coalition which was first to endorse Robredo for president, called on “every peace and democracy-loving Filipino to unite and stand behind” the Vice President.

“We are up against the vast resources of the Duterte administration. But knowing that we are fighting for the survival of the country fuels our vigilance and our resolve to push for the presidency of Vice President Leni,” it said in a statement.

"We in 1Sambayan stand firm behind Vice President Leni in her presidential bid in the 2022 national elections. It is a light of hope that comes at a time of great uncertainty: a country on its knees due to a failed pandemic response, a struggling economy, and a backdrop of the loss of lives and livelihood for the Filipino people.”

Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and lawyer Chel Diokno, who is running for senator next year, said they would join Robredo in accomplishing her plans for the country.

"Magdalo group is rejoicing over the Vice President's decision to run for president and lead the genuine opposition. Magdalo will join her in this fight and effort to tide the country over the destruction brought by the Duterte administration," Trillanes said.

"Nabuhayan tayo ng pag-asa sa pag-declare ni VP Leni Robredo ng pagtakbo niya bilang pangulo. Tama si VP: kailangan nating talunin yung luma at bulok na klase ng pulitika, at ipalit ang matino at mahusay na pamumuno. Kasama ako ni VP sa laban niya para sa mga Pilipino," Diokno added.

(Her decision to run for president gives us hope. She is right that we need to defeat traditional politics and replace it with competent and good governance. I support the Vice President in her fight for the welfare of Filipinos.)

Akbayan party, which also endorsed Robredo for president, said it joins “the Vice President in drawing our place in the sand and planting our feet firmly on the side of principle, justice, and democracy.”

"Filipino voters will also no longer be forced to settle for less. We now have a real democratic alternative who can stop the continuation of tyranny, win the fight against the pandemic and economic recession, and lead us back safely to the path of democracy," it said.

Dapat Si Leni!, a group of volunteers supporting Robredo, expressed high hopes should she clinch the presidency.

"Alam natin ang hirap at kakulangan—sa kapangyarihan at makinarya—ngunit nakasandig tayo sa puwersang hindi kayang pabagsakin o bilhin: ang pagmamahal sa bansa," Dapat si Leni! spokesperson Clyde Gregorio said.

(We know that we lack the power and machinery, but we can count on a force that cannot be taken down or bought: love of country.)

"With [the] Vice President as our leader, we can be assured that our government is competent, has integrity and would have genuine love for country. Like her, we are willing to bet everything to fight for those in the fringes of society," he added.

Senator Ralph Recto, who supports presidential aspirant Isko Moreno, wished Robredo "all the best." 

Senator Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, said he and his running mate Senate President Vicente Sotto III decided not to comment on their political rivals in the May 2022 elections.

"We will focus only on presenting ourselves and our competencies to the electorate in an effort to get elected based on our own strengths, and not on the deficiencies of the others," Lacson said. 

"We intend to keep it that way, even as we encourage our supporters to follow our lead." — VBL, GMA News