Robredo endorses Alyansa candidates Pacquiao, Abalos

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Leni Robredo’s endorsement of candidates allied with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. comes as a surprise, especially since they were rivals in the 2022 presidential election

MANILA, Philippines – Former vice president Leni Robredo, now running for mayor of Naga City, has endorsed the Senate bids of former senator Manny Pacquiao and former Interior secretary Benhur Abalos. Both are part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas.

“Tutulungan natin siya dahil matagal na siyang tumutulong dito sa atin sa Naga lalo na noong bagyong Kristine. Nakailang beses siyang bumalik para tumulong. Tahimik lang pero palaging tumutulong. Kaya naman, sigurado na kung siya magiging senador. Tutulungan niya tayo kaya tutulungan natin siya,” Robredo said in endorsing Abalos on Wednesday, April 23.

(We will support him because he has long been helping us here in Naga, especially during Typhoon Kristine. He came back several times to help. He doesn’t make noise about it, but he’s always there to lend a hand. That’s why we’re confident that if he becomes a senator, he will help us —so we will help him.)

In endorsing Pacquiao, Robredo said she could vouch for the former senator’s kindness, despite having run against him in the 2022 presidential election.

“Kahit noong kami ay pareho pa kandidato sa pagka presidente, magkalaban kami, pero tinutulungan niya parin ako noon,” Robredo said.

(Even when we were both presidential candidates and rivals, he still helped me back then.)

“Senator, hindi ko alam kung naaalala mo pero nagkasabay tayo sa Cebu. Tinanong mo ako noon kung bulletproof ang sasakyan ko at sabi ko hindi. Sabi mo, papahiramin kita para sigurado palaging safe tayo palagi. Magkalaban na kami noon,” she recalled.

(Senator, I don’t know if you remember, but we were in Cebu at the same time. You asked me then if my vehicle was bulletproof, and I said it wasn’t. You told me, ‘I’ll lend you one so we can always be safe.’ We were already rivals at that time.)

Robredo made the endorsement in two separate events in Naga City.

It can be recalled that during one of the televised presidential debates in 2022, Robredo said she would vote for Pacquiao if she weren’t running for president herself.

Robredo’s endorsement of candidates allied with Marcos came as a surprise, especially since they were rivals in the 2022 presidential election. Marcos won with 31 million votes, while Robredo received 14.8 million.

Robredo drew flak online because she did not endorse Bong Rodriguez who is running for governor in Camarines Sur against Lray Villafuerte. Rodriguez was his regional campaign head in 2022. – Rappler.com