Robredo sets two conditions if daughters will join politics

Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday said that it would not be impossible for one of her daughters to enter politics in the future, but they have to follow her two conditions should they decide to do so.

Interviewed on "Dobol B TV’s Ikaw Na Ba?” Robredo said while she is praying that her daughters would not join politics, there might be an interest that could arise as they have been exposed to it since they were little, having both their parents as public servants.

“Pinag-usapan na namin ito. Sabi ko sa kanila, hindi naman siguro malayo, again, down the road, ang isa kanila ay magka-interest. All their lives, exposed talaga sila sa pulitika,” she said.

(We’ve talked about this. I told them maybe it’s not impossible that down the road, one of them will be interested. All their lives, they were really exposed to politics.)

She also noted that all her three daughters with the late Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Jesse Robredo were born when their father was already a mayor in Naga.

“Sanay sila na kabahagi na ‘yung public service sa buhay namin and tumutulong sila kung ano ang makakagaan sa akin especially during the campaign,” she added.

(They are used to public service being part of our lives and they also help in whichever way that could help ease my load during the campaign.)

Robredo, who is running for president in the May 2022 polls, then stressed that if her daughters were to run for a public office, only one person in their family would have to hold a position and they have to work for it on their own.

“Number one, hindi kami pwedeng magsabay-sabay. Meaning to say, habang humahawak pa ako ng posisyon, wala sa kanila ang pwedeng kumandidato,” she said.

(Number one, only one of us should be in politics at a time. Meaning to say, while I am still holding a position, none of them can run.)

“Pangalawang hindi pwede, hindi ko ipamana sa kanila ‘yung pwesto. Sinasabi ko na kung magpaplano kayong kumandidato sa isang posisyon, siguraduhin ninyong pagtatrabahuan ninyo ‘yon. Hindi dahil anak ko sila, hindi dahil anak sila ng tatay nila, meron na silang entitlement sa posisyon,” she added.

(Secondly, I will not pass down the position to them . I told them if they are planning to run for a position, they should work for it. It’s not because they are my children or their father’s that they are already entitled to a position.)

At The Jessica Soho Presidential Interviews, Robredo, along with other presidential candidates Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson, agreed to have an anti-political dynasty law passed.

Meanwhile, former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in a separate interview implied that there was nothing wrong with political dynasties.

Moreover, Robredo, a widow, also said she has no plan to remarry or enter into a romantic relationship anew.

“‘Yung magkaroon ulit ng katuwang sa buhay, sigurado akong hindi ‘yun mangyayari. Sigurado akong hindi na ako mag-aasawa. Sigurado akong hindi na ako papasok sa isang romantic relationship,” she said.

(To have a life partner again, I'm sure that won't happen. I'm sure I won't get married again. I’m sure I’m not going to enter into a romantic relationship again.)

Mr. Robredo died in a plane crash on August 18, 2012.

Before he was appointed as DILG secretary in 2010 by then-President Benigno Aquino III, Mr. Robredo served as a long-time mayor of Naga. He also received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service in 2000, the first Filipino mayor given such honor.—AOL, GMA News