Vice President Leni Robredo said she has no plans yet for the 2022 elections despite calls for her to run for the highest office in the government.
Robredo reiterates her priority, as of now, to do her job as vice president.
“Kung iisipin ko iyong 2022, siguro hindi ko na magagampanan nang maayos iyong trabaho ko. Hindi ko na magagampanan nang maayos iyong trabaho ko, kasi ang iisipin ko na lang saan ba ako makakakuha ng maraming boto. Siguro araw-araw nasa media ako, nagpapa-interview—araw-araw sa TV—para mas grabe iyong media exposure. Salungat iyan sa ninanais natin na magtrabaho,” she said in a radio interview.
[If I will think about 2022, maybe I won’t be able to do my job well. I will not be able to work efficiently, since I will be thinking where I can get more votes. Maybe I’ll be more visible in media, I’ll be interviewed every day on TV, so I can get more media exposure. That is contrary to what I want to do.]
The vice president believes it will do the people no good if her mind jumps ahead to 2022 to get ready for elections while there is still work to be done in the Office of the Vice President.
“Pero sa akin talaga, parang iyong lugi iyong taumbayan. Lugi iyong taumbayan kung nakaupo ka pa nga, ang iniisip mo iyong susunod na eleksyon, kasi lahat na desisyon mo affected na. Kaya sa akin, para sa akin, malaking disservice sa tao kapag ang namumuno sa kanila, lalo na ngayong pandemic, ang iniisip pa din pulitika,” she said.
(For me, the public will suffer. The public will suffer if you are still in office yet you are already thinking about the next elections, since all your decisions will be affected by it. For me, it is a big disservice to people if their leaders, especially now that there is a pandemic, is still thinking about politics.)
In addition, she emphasized her record in politics: that she never had to plan for anything. Not her running for Congress, especially not her running for the vice presidency.
“Ang record ko sa politika, wala akong pinlano—iyong pag-congressman ko, pag-VP. Hindi ko pinlano, dumating na lang,” she said.
[In my political record, I did not plan anything – my becoming member of congress, becoming a vice president. I did not plan it, it just happened.]
This was a statement following the calls of media personality Sharon Cuneta, saying she hopes the likes of Robredo would run in 2022.
