NAGA CITY, Philippines (Updated February 9, 8:33 a.m.) — Vice President Leni Robredo returned to her roots in Naga to launch her campaign for the presidency, promising to bring to the country the brand of leadership she and her late husband, Jesse, are known for in the city.
In her speech before a crowd of around 20,000 at Plaza Quezon during her proclamation rally, Robredo vowed to bring their “tsinelas” leadership nationwide.
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“Susuotan natin ng tsinelas ang gobyerno at patatawirin sa mga pilapil papunta sa iyo. Sa ating pamamahala, laylayan ang magiging bagong sentro,” the vice president said.
(We will make the government wear flip-flops and make it cross rice fields to you. In our governance, the margins will become the new center.)
Bailiwick
It comes as no surprise that Robredo started campaigning in her bailiwick, the Bicol region, as she won by landslide here in the 2016 vice presidential race despite other Bicolanos running against her.
For 2022, Robredo said she is also counting on the “solid” Bicolano vote, which amounts to around 3.6 million voters as of 2019.
Beyond the numbers, Robredo has more personal reasons behind her decision to make her first campaign stops in her home region.
“Dito natin sa Bicol piniling ilunsad ang susunod na yugto ng ating laban. Dito, kung saan ako isinilang at lumaki; kung saan nahubog ang prinsipyo at paniniwala ko, hindi lang ng mga natutuhan sa eskuwela, kundi ng harapang pakikisalamuha sa inyo,” she said.
(We chose to launch the next chapter of our battle here in Bicol. Here, where I was born and raised; where my principles and beliefs were shaped, not just by what I learned in school, but because of my direct interactions with you.)
She added, “Dito ko sa Naga nakita na ang luma at bulok na klase ng pulitika, kayang talunin ng matino, mahusay, masipag, at makataong pamamahala.”
(I saw here in Naga how the old and rotten politics can be defeated by sensible, competent, industrious and humane governance.)
‘I am not afraid’
While Robredo’s voter base is strong in Bicol, she still has a lot of catching up to do to displace survey frontrunner former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, who enjoys a double-digit lead over her.
Robredo acknowledged that the race to Malacañang will only get tougher, but counted on her supporters — known as Kakampinks — to pull off this Hail Mary.
“Hindi ako natatakot. Hindi ako kinakabahan, dahil nang tinawag ko kayong gisingin ang natutulog pang lakas, buong-buo ang naging tugon ninyo,” she said, referencing her supporters’ efforts to boost her candidacy.
(I am not afraid. I am not nervous because when I called on you to awaken your slumbering power, you responded fully.)
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Disclosure: This story was made possible through the support of Vice President Leni Robredo's campaign, which arranged transportation and accommodations for the Philstar.com reporting team. This article was produced following editorial guidelines and the Robredo campaign did not have input on how the story would be written.