Robredo: I'm just a symbol, people are raring for change

Vice President Leni Robredo said the outpouring of support for her presidential bid shows the people are raring for change through the upcoming May 2022 elections.

But she shuns taking the credit for it, saying she is just a "symbol" for the people to raise a common voice in the polls.

"Tingin ko symbol lang ako for people to converge, but it could have been anyone else," Robredo said in an interview with Rappler CEO and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa.

"The time was ripe, it is a long journey going to this point.  How we were during the pandemic, parang the dots connect," she added.

The independent presidential candidate said the Filipinos are ready and raring for change as can be seen by their energy on the ground.

"Iyong tao, handa na, matagal nang nagkikimkim. It's not the ordinary kind of energy that you see in many of the exercises we did in the past, the kind of energy was like in 1986, people are raring to be part of the change that's happening," Robredo said.

She said it is important to keep listening to the people to have a more "empowered engagement."

"The bigger challenge is how to keep people get involved, how to make them feel part of the solution, how to make them own the problems that beset the nation....that's the greatest challenge," she added.

Shift on the ground

Robredo is trailing former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in the Pulse Asia survey conducted from March 17-21, 2022.

Asked how she deals with the "changing in history" and the "frontrunner," referring to the former dictator's son, Robredo said, "Ako, I would have to admit that it’s been very frustrating na alam natin yung katotohan and yet people buy into it. May pagsisisi rin you know I can’t also help but blame myself why I have not done enough or early enough na harangin siya."

“When I started my term I was too naïve about how powerful social media was. Yung frustration is actually born out of also blaming myself and it only heightens the frustration that you feel,” she added.

However, she acknowledged that there was a “massive shift on the ground.”

“But you know in the recent past we see shift on the ground. It's a massive shift on the ground, it’s something not seen for so long. When I filed my certificate of candidacy pag titingnan mo I had absolutely no chance, at least yun ang tingin ko, of having a shot at it,” she said.

“Pero ngayon wala akong pagsisisi observing how people are doing pushback. Natatawa nga ako ngayon pagnarereklamo sila grabeng lumaban ang supporters kasi at the back of my mind eto ang ginagawa niyo in the last six years, tapos kayo concerted, eto organic, yung pushback is organic,” she added.

Misinformation on social media platforms

Robredo said that in order to address the problems of the proliferation of misinformation in social media sites there must be a “self-regulation,” adding that Congress must pass laws to make social media platforms accountable.

“I’ve been saying this many times already ang ideal sana self-regulation kasi we have been asking the social media platform to self-regulate for so many years already and they are not doing anything about it,” she said.

“So yung sa akin talaga because they are not doing something about it ako talagang Congress should already pass laws that would make them accountable. Alam ko there is a thin line between freedom of expression pero sino ba yung lugi dito, yung taong napapaniwala nila,” she added.

Asked on how she handles being one of most targeted of fake news and misinformation online, Robredo said that her greatest weapon is “your own conscience.”

Great faith in military

The vice president also shared that she has a “great faith” in the military, noting that she has a good relationship with them based on respect.

“I have a great faith with them, I have [good relationship] it is not an intimate relationship pero it is a relationship based on respect and I think that is more important than personal relationships. Kasi itong mga sundalo mga professional na pumasok ito sa pagsusundalo because of their great love for the country,” she said.

“Ako ang paniniwala ko talga pagbiinigyan mo sila ng choice between good and evil lagi nilang piliin yung kabutihan kelangan lang nila makita na sincere seryoso ako sa ginagawa ako, seryoso ako sa trabaho…pero yung military at least a great majority of them very healthy relationship yung relationship namin,” she added.

Transport modernization

Meanwhile, the vice president called for bigger subsidies and longer loan payment terms to push for the transport modernization in the country.

“I’ve been talking to different transport groups and I’ve been asking them of what they feel about the jeepney modernization alam mo surprisingly hindi sila kontra, nahihirapan lang sila sa terms,” she said.

“Ang problema nila sobrang bigat ng terms ang hinihiling lang naman nila yung subsidies lakihan, yung terms habaan para makaya and ako agree sa kanila paghindi nila gawin ang makakacomply lang yung dating may capacity pero yung bahagi ng transport sector hirap na dapat sila yung mas tinutulungan,” she added.—LDF, GMA News