Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo has reiterated that she has no intention of running for a national post in the 2028 elections, ruling out a bid for the presidency and disappointing her followers. “Sigurado na ako sa sarili ko na hindi na ko ma-national,” she told the radio station DWNX FM on Tuesday, April 21, saying that she still had much to do as mayor. But Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan says the opposition “respectfully disagrees” with her decision.
“Today, given her rising poll numbers, I believe that Leni is in the best position to build the broadest and strongest unity not just amongst the ranks of the Liberal Party and our allies but to include all other groups and personalities outside our allied forces who are also looking to [participate] in the 2028 Presidential elections,” said Pangilinan in his statement. The senator was Robredo’s running mate in the 2022 elections, where Robredo lost the presidential race to Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., and Pangilinan lost the vice presidency to Sara Duterte.
“Now more than ever, having witnessed the largest corruption scandal in Philippine history, our people are crying out for good governance, and public accountability,” Pangilinan continued.
He also argued that Robredo’s refusal to run for president may create a leadership vacuum that “cannot be filled adequately by other contenders.” In turn, he says, a broad united front may not be formed. “The net effect will be the fielding of various political parties and groups of their respective presidential bets, further weakening our chances and delivering victory to our adversaries,” he said.
According to research firm OCTA, the former vice president is closing the gap between her and Duterte in pre-election polls. Duterte, despite her ongoing impeachment case, leads an unreleased presidential preference survey at 33 percent, with Robredo following at 21 percent.
But even with followers voicing their support for Robredo, she has long opposed the idea of running for president again. Rappler reports that Robredo had thumbed down questions regarding a possible presidential bid as early as October 2024. After Duterte announced her bid for the presidency in February, Robredo also told Naga media that she had decided “a long time ago” not to run again, as she wanted to focus on Naga City.
