MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo is grateful for the support she has received from groups pushing for an all-women tandem, but she will only support the vice presidential bid of running mate Senator Kiko Pangilinan, her camp said Tuesday.
A group led by Rep. Joey Salceda (Albay) launched “ROSA 2022” Monday to support the presidential bid of Robredo and vice presidential bid of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
"We’re still very thankful for their support… But her position on this matter has been very, very clear from the start. Her running mate, her ka-tandem is Senator Kiko Pangilinan. She will be pushing for his election as vice president. She will not be campaigning for any other candidate," Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
"But regardless of who gets elected, she will be willing to work with the person who the people choose as vice president," he added.
The organizers of "ROSA" stressed that Robredo and Duterte-Carpio are the best people to lead the Philippines, with Salceda saying the alternative tandem is "good for the economy, good for the provinces, and good for Mindanao."
"Given their record of service in government, they might have a different style. But at the end of the day, both of them have proven that they have what it takes to actually perform as effective public servants so I don’t think there will be a problem," Gutierrez said.
"Being a vice president, after all, to a large extent, means being able to find a niche where you can be most effective."
Robredo previously said she will make sure the next vice president will not experience what she went through under the Duterte administration.
Several groups also expressed support for an "Is-Sa" ticket of presidential aspirant Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and Duterte-Carpio.
The Davao City mayor’s presidential bet Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. kept his lead in a pre-election survey released by Pulse Asia released on March 14, where 60% of respondents said they would vote for him if elections were held during the survey period.
In the same survey, 53% said they would vote for Duterte-Carpio if elections were held then.