VP Robredo gets support from FVR, Pnoy ex-Cabinet men, officials

QUEZON CITY — Is Vice President Maria Leonor Leni Robredo making a headway as she pursues the top post of the land?

It seems so if reports over the past weeks are to be the gauge.

Only a week before the election campaign starts, the Vice President and presidential aspirant who is trailing frontrunner former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in surveys drew support from various sectors.

This as Robredo and runningmate Sen. Francis Pangilinan completed their senatorial slate with the addition of lawyer and former party-list representative Neric Colmenares.

The latest to endorse Robredo are 95 former Cabinet officials, former Armed Forces chiefs of staff, and retired ambassadors mostly from the administration of the late President Benigno Aquino III.

Earlier, several former Cabinet members and officials of the administration of former President Fidel Ramos also expressed their support to Robredo.

Those supporting Robredo includes other senior government officials and career civil servants.

In a statement, the officials signed a resolution extending support to Robredo. The latest signatories include Robredo’s 2016 running mate former Interior Secretary Manuel Mar Roxas II, former Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, and former Armed Forces chief of staff Eduardo Oban, Jr.

In the statement, they said Robredo possesses the characteristics of a leader who is competent, experienced, and committed to principles of integrity, democracy, and genuine public service.

“We believe that the best candidate who embodies these aspirations is a true leader who brings with her a solid track record of serving the public; one who possesses all the qualities of an ideal Chief Executive and Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces,” the statement added.

“We commit ourselves fully to Vice President Leni Robredo’s bid for the presidency to lead the Philippines on an upward path of recovery and greatness,” they added.

The group enjoined Filipinos to elect Robredo “to give our country the leader that we all deserve.”

In a tweet, the Vice President thanked the officials for their trust and support, adding that she knew about their “culture of competence and collaboration” from her late husband, former Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo.

Robredo, who is running as an independent candidate, denied the “dilawan,” or officials previously affiliated with the Liberal Party, will receive favors if she wins in the May 9 race. When asked if officials with ties to the Aquino family will be appointed to government posts, she said many officials have already left the political party.

“Kakaunti na lang ‘yung mga natirang pulitiko sa Liberal Party, such that nag-desisyon nga ‘yung partido na i-bukas na sa ordinaryong mamamayan, i-bukas na sa society, i-bukas sa mga advocacy groups, i-bukas sa mga interest groups ‘yung membership ng partido,” she said in the DZBB radio interview.

Twenty-three former government officials who served during the administration of former President Fidel V. Ramos also pledged back in January to help Robredo win the presidency.