Robredo says she'll be a crisis-ready president, even in the event of EDSA 3 (Sabong News)
Author
Betheena Unite
Date
APRIL 20 2022
“I’m so used to very difficult situations.”
This was how aspiring president Vice President Leni Robredo responded when asked what she would do if a revolution similar to the past EDSA revolutions happens under her term.
“I don’t think there was ever a role that I played—even before I joined politics—that wasn’t difficult. Because I’ve been so used to it, I’ve been used to handling crisis already,” Robredo said during her interview on Rappler’s #WeDecide: The first 100 days with Leni Robredo Wednesday night, April 20.
The vice president said the difficulties she went through as a leader gave her the ability to focus on more important things. And this is something that she will continue to practice if she wins the presidency.
“Kasi ‘pag iniisip ko na kasi yung politika, halimbawa, ‘pag naging pangulo ako, iniisip ko na yung possibility na mag-EDSA 3, baka ang gawin ko na lang nang gawin, nililigawan ko nang nililigawan yung mga politiko and mga people na who have influence (Because if I only think about politics, for example if I become the president and I think about the possibility of an EDSA 3, it might drive me to just focus on seeking the favors of politicians and people who have influence),” Robredo said.
“And I think that would cause me my being a good president,” Robredo added.
The aspiring president also attributed her productivity as a vice president to her ability to focus on more important things than politics—which she said was among the factors leading to her decision to file her candidacy at the last minute.
“My starting point was of a very different mindset. Even when I ran for Congress, the entire three years that I was there, I was so sure that that would be my first and only term ever. So alam mo yun (you know), walang (there was no) preparation for a bigger role,” she said.
Robredo also considers her mindset when it comes to politics as instrumental to her leadership as the country’s second highest official.
She explained that if from the very beginning she was already thinking about running for a higher position, she would have not reached the farthest and smallest communities in the country to provide assistance and instead focused on Metro Manila, where most people live.
“When I became vice president, siguro hindi ko inasahan na ganito yung magiging (I did not expect this) political landscape, na tingin ko (I think) if I was aware of it already or if I was gunning for the presidency from day 1 already, there are many things I could have done differently pero (but) having said that, tingin ko (I think this is a) blessing din na(that the) presidency wasn’t in the plan until the filing kasi siguro kung plano na siya, baka sobrang na yung motivation ko ng mga ginagawa (because if it was already a plan, my motivation) would be more political already. And I’m not so sure if I would have done the things the way I did,” the lone female presidential candidate said.
She further said that her mindset since the beginning was actually a blessing “in the sense that we were doing things for the right reasons.”
