Dreaming on
Vice President Leni Robredo had fired off an international image building campaign, apparently to back a presidential run in 2022. The Liberal Party (LP), which she leads, recently held its first executive council meeting after being mauled in the recent midterm polls where none of the Otso Diretso senatorial bets won.
The likely yellow standard bearer has taken the soft approach in an interview with Arab News to fire off her 2022 pursuit, saying that her relations with President Rody Duterte are “cordial” and that “he is very civil when we see each other.”
There was, of course, the LP practice of planting outright lies to the unwary journalist who may have encountered Robredo for the very first time.
The spin which was included in the Middle East news report was that Robredo is not ruling out a presidential bid “amid rumors that she is the obvious choice to take on the mantle once (President Rody) Duterte finishes his term.”
To a Filipino, it is hard to imagine such a “rumor” having any credibility and should be considered part of a joke, and her next statement indeed may prove that it was meant to be funny: “I do not rule it out completely only because of what happened during the last two elections where I ruled out running for Congress and I ruled out running for the vicepresidency, and I had to eat my words after that,” she said, adding that as far as the Philippines is concerned, it’s all about “destiny.”
Thus far the “destiny” that she is referring to may find her behind bars instead of barnstorming for the presidency.
She is facing sedition and other criminal charges along with 35 of her cohorts in the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” video series.
The complaints filed by the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is already up for resolution.
Solicitor General Jose Calida in a motion with the Department of Justice to pursue the case said the release and publication of the seditious online literature “Ang Totoong Narcolist” was meant to foment discord to entice the people to overthrow a duly constituted government.
The video demonized the name of the duly elected president, his family, including his minor child, his close allies and aides, Calida said.
The SolGen underscored in the motion that an offense had been committed and that those behind it should be held accountable.
“(I)t is irrefutable that a crime has been committed. The release of the ‘Ang Totoong Narcolist’ alone is undisputed and self-evident that the crime of sedition/ inciting to sedition, cyber libel and libel have all been committed,” he noted.
The top government prosecutor indicated the case has been painted by respondents as an instrument to silence dissent. “But this claim is no more than a fragile attempt to silence the truth. For this case is about the respondents’ betrayal of the Constitution and the people of the Philippines, nothing more,” Calida said.
Still Robredo believes she has a shot at the presidency. “Our history has shown that a lot of people have aspired for the presidency, but have not been successful. And we have had a lot of presidents who won the elections where they had not prepared as much as the other candidates. It is something that will be given to you if it is really meant for you. So, there is no point in preparing for it at this point,” she said.
Another complication for Robredo is that she might even be a bogus vice president as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal is set to release the results on the protest on the 2016 vice-presidential tally.
Also, the latest survey results showed Robredo’s ratings falling in contrast to the upsurge in the numbers of Rody.
The chance of Robredo to fulfill the “rumor” about succeeding the President is nil and is part of the many tall tales she peddles.
“She might even be a bogus vice president as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal is set to release the results on the protest on the 2016 vicepresidential tally.
“To a Filipino, it is hard to imagine such a ‘rumor’ having any credibility and should be considered part of a joke.