Dismay over Leni’s endorsements: yes to Pacquiao, Abalos; none for CamSur bets

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NAGA CITY, Philippines – Despite merely running for mayor of Naga City, former vice president Leni Robredo’s endorsement remains a much sought-after booster for aspiring candidates this midterm elections.

Robredo, who vied for the presidency but lost in 2022, expressed support for her former presidential race rival, Manny Pacquiao. She also endorsed former Department of Interior and Local Government secretary Benhur Abalos.

Pacquiao and Abalos are both candidates under the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas ticket of her 2022 presidential rival, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Both candidates for senator visited Naga City on April 23. Pacquiao even joined Robredo in her house-to-house outreach.

Robredo emphasized that her support for Pacquiao came from gratitude because he has been helping her and Naga City for a long time already.

Robredo also endorsed national candidates vying for national positions, including Bam Aquino, Kiko Pangilinan, who are both running for senator, and Leila de Lima who is running for Representative of the party list group Mamamayang Liberal.

She also expressed support for Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Roberto Ballon, a senatorial candidate from Zamboanga.

But while Robredo is eager to endorse national candidates, CamSur locals are puzzled over why she appears reluctant to endorse candidates from her own home province.

In an interview with RMN DWNX Naga on April 15, 2025, Robredo explained that people of Naga will not vote for the province as it is an independent city, so endorsing provincial candidates is not needed.

She also emphasized that “just because someone helped you doesn’t mean you should help them too,” while pertaining to candidates who helped her during the 2022 elections.

“In fact, dakol nagtarabang sakuya sa lokal, bako lang digdi, sa bilog na Pilipinas na nagpapa-endorse, ako nagsayuma ako. Nagsayuma ako sa gabos ta habo ko nang makisawsaw pa ta dai man ako duman kabali,” she said.

(In fact, there were many people who helped me locally, not just here, but also in the whole Philippines asking for endorsement, I refused. I refused everyone because I didn’t want to get involved anymore because I didn’t belong there.)

Naga City residents do not vote for provincial level positions. However, they are expected to vote for CamSur 3rd District representative, a seat Robredo occupied before she became vice president.

Unlike the past elections, Robredo has not officially endorsed any of the 3rd District congressional candidates.

Nelson Legacion, the incumbent Naga City mayor, is running for a 3rd District representative position in CamSur. Leni had always expressed her support for Legacion. She even attended the inauguration of the Naga City mayor in 2022.

Meanwhile, Bong Rodriguez, the founder of Siklab Lingkod Bicol (formerly Solid Leni Bicol) and regional campaign manager of Leni during the 2022 elections, is a gubernatorial candidate in Camarines Sur.

Neither of them has received any official and public endorsement from the former vice president.

The power of endorsement

Gewel Genesis Agase, a first-time voter from CamSur, expressed his dismay in an interview, “It’s so ironic that she’s endorsing candidates vying for national posts but can’t do the same for a local post. Camarines Sur is her home province.”

Rodriguez is challenging the gubernatorial comeback of three-term CamSur 2nd District Representative Luis Raymund Villafuerte, a politician from a well-entrenched dynasty in the province. Many of Robredo’s supporters during her presidential bid are rooting for him.

Brian Joseph Nava, a resident and registered voter in Naga, expressed his disappointment. “Bong was our best ace to finally [dethrone] the [Villafuertes],” Nava said.

In an interview last October 7, 2024, amid the well-funded disinformation attacks against their team, Rodriguez said that although Robredo’s support is part of his “prayer,” he understands that he should not totally expect her to endorse him.

“I have to earn her endorsement just as I’m trying to earn the respect and vote of the ordinary people,” he said.

Describing her former regional campaign manager as competent, Robredo did have good things to say about Rodriguez.

“Nabisto ko lang siya sa halipot na panahon na magkatrabaho kami. Maray ang pagkabisto ko, nahiling ko siya sa trabaho, nadangog ko na siyang magtaram, matibay. Matibay si Bong,” Robredo said. (I only knew him for the short time that we worked together. I know him well, I’ve seen him at work, I’ve heard him speak, he’s strong. Bong is strong.)

But she stopped short of formally endorsing him.

‘Make it or break it’ time for CamSur

Champagne Carpio, a political science professor from Ateneo de Naga University, said she expected even before the start of campaign period that Robredo would not endorse any of the provincial candidates in CamSur.

First, the Villafuertes are basically relatives of Robredo. The late Luis Robredo Villafuerte was the uncle of the late Jesse Robredo, husband of Leni. The Villafuerte patriarch was the one who influenced Jesse to run for office, until the two parted ways in 1992 over corruption and jueteng issues faced by the Villafuertes.

“Villafuertes are ‘kamag-anaks’ (relatives) of Leni. In this part, we could say that in this election, blood is thicker than water,” Carpio said.

Despite being related, in the public eye, Luis and Jesse did not have a good relationship. Luis actually disowned Jesse before by saying that his grandfather, who was Chinese, fooled them into thinking they were related. Luis used this claim to have Jesse Robredo declared as non-Filipino in several attempts to disqualify him from public office.

After Jesse died in 2012, Leni also challenged the Villafuerte dynasty in CamSur’s 3rd District, where she won against Nelly Villafuerte by a landslide.

She also endorsed the late Nonoy Andaya for governor against LRay’s son, Luigi Villafuerte, last 2022 elections.

But despite Leni’s previous stance, Carpio explained that, “Jesse is different from Leni, disowning Jesse doesn’t mean the same goes for Leni. Elections can destroy familial ties, but also can help rebuild it. That’s how interesting the election is.”

Another possible reason why Leni does not want to endorse local candidates is the consequences she would face if she endorses a candidate.

“For example, if she endorsed Legacion, then people will think that she technically retracted all the things she said in her leaked letter addressed to the councilors, or if she endorsed Magtoto, then she will also directly affiliate herself with the Villafuertes,” Carpio explained.

Nelson Legacion is the incumbent Naga City mayor who is currently running as 3rd District Representative in CamSur under Rodriguez’s slate. Legacion has been haunted by jueteng allegations in 2024 after Leni’s letter to the Naga council, calling out Legacion, circulated online.

Typical Philippine politics

While many have expressed their concerns about Leni’s recent stance, there are some, like Leo Israel Flores, a registered voter in CamSur, who fully understand the former VP. “Even though I was disappointed with Madam’s interview, we know there’s a reason behind it.”

“Many famous and influential personalities in the Philippines endorsed her. But it didn’t work out that way because they weren’t the center of the campaign. We shouldn’t be relying on them for help, but on the people,” Flores added.

However, for Carpio, it is not enough to just rely on the people, especially because the two gubernatorial candidates do not have the same level of machinery and resources. In a country where elections become a battle of the wealthiest, neophyte candidates have less chances of winning.

“There are a lot of loyal supporters of the Villafuertes, so if we want to convince these people, we need an individual to at least inspire them to choose a different candidate. In this case, it’s Leni, but she didn’t,” Carpio said.

The political analyst concluded that Leni also lacked the strong machinery needed in the previous 2022 elections, which is why Ferdinand Marcos Jr. defeated her. So, with the current elections, Robredo is trying to build her own by carefully choosing who to support.

Gerry Cacanindin, a Leni supporter, speculated that the former vice president is also possibly telling her supporters that it is better to vote for Abalos and Pacquiao instead of Imee Marcos, Camille Villar, or Philip Salvador, who are allies of Duterte.

“She is telling Pinks to help Pacquiao and Abalos in order to ease out Imee, Camille, and Salvador, while also securing two slots for Bam and Kiko.”

Carpio said that this time, with Leni’s endorsement of people such as Pacquiao and Abalos, she definitely weighed who could benefit her in the future as well.

“And I think that’s the essence of what politics is in the Philippines,” she added. – Rappler.com

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