For many Filipinos, especially those hoping for an alternative option to the Marcos-Duterte political establishment (and ever since Vice President Sara Duterte confirmed her bid), Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo remains the strongest name in the conversation of opposition for the 2028 presidential elections. But the former vice president, much to the dismay of many supporters, has once again made it clear that she has no plans of making another run for the country’s highest office.
“Ako, open ako to anyone na kaya and deserving. Pero kung ako mismo, talagang hindi na,” she told reporters in Naga City on November 9. “Matagal nang sarado. Wala nang anything na makapagpapabago sa isip ko,” she added. This isn’t the first time that she rejected the plan, having repeatedly said before and as early as October 2025 that she would no longer be joining the race. But Senator Kiko Pangilinan, among others, keeps his hopes up — citing former President Benigno Aquino III, who was also initially reluctant to the presidency but still ran in 2010 (and won) for the Filipinos.
Robredo’s decision does not mean that the opposition is running out of potential candidates. The mayor herself floated several names whom she believes could be capable of taking on the challenge in 2028, including Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, and members of the Liberal Party: Senators Risa Hontiveros, Bam Aquino, and Kiko Pangilinan. She also expressed confidence in Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, though he is ineligible due to the age requirement, being only 38 years old by the time of the national elections. Here, we list out what each mentioned politician has done and could possibly offer.
Bam Aquino
In the PAHAYAG 2026 Quarterly Surveys of Publicus Asia, Senator Bam Aquino topped the polls as the country’s most favorable senator. Best known as the author of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, or the Free College Law, his midterm campaign and advocacies were centered on education, which he said propelled his comeback to Congress. The senator previously told Rolling Stone Philippines that he will next tackle unemployment and underemployment.
According to lawyer Jesus Falcis, an unnamed source told him that Robredo would endorse Aquino for the 2028 national elections. Aquino, meanwhile, has not yet expressed his interest in running for the presidency. In February, he thumbed down the idea of running for the second-highest post after speculations that he would be Duterte’s running mate.
Risa Hontiveros
Hontiveros has appeared as one of the potential opposition standard-bearers in the 2028 national elections. As early as June, party-lists Akbayan and Magdalo had endorsed the senator and launched the “Risa Na 2028” movement at the University of the Philippines Diliman. In August, Hontiveros herself said she is preparing and strengthening herself for a presidential run. “If it turns out that I am the strongest, that I can be elected from our party, then I will talk to the members, the allies in our party,” she said.
The senator’s primary platforms were women’s rights, gender equality (she sponsored the SOGIESC Bill), and healthcare. She was also persistent in investigating the POGOs in the country and led the Senate’s inquiry on Alice Guo, wherein the former Bamban, Tarlac mayor was found guilty of human trafficking and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Kiko Pangilinan
Pangilinan ran as Robredo’s vice president in the 2022 national elections, and although he fell short, he reclaimed a seat in the Senate by 2025 (He actually has never lost a Senate election since first running in 2001.) The senator is known for his agricultural and environmental platforms, and currently chairs the Senate committee on agriculture, food, and agrarian reform. Pangilinan is also the principal author of the Sagip Saka Act, which established the Farmers and Fisherfolk Enterprise Development Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and boosts the income of Filipino farmers and fisherfolk. Also among the things he wanted to address then was the agricultural budget. “We’re looking at increasing it by P100 billion every year for the next three years until the end of the administration’s term,” he told Rolling Stone Philippines in 2025. True enough, Pangilinan sponsored the P184.09 billion budget of DA for 2026.
The senator has not yet expressed any interest in running for the presidency and instead continues to endorse Robredo. “Sa 2028, naniniwala ako na taumbayan din ang magpapasiya at magtatagumpay para sa bayan,” he said, hoping for the masses to eventually change the mayor’s mind.
Joy Belmonte
Joy Belmonte is deemed by Robredo as a strong candidate from the local government, and she has actually been pitched as a presidential bet as early as February by netizens. According to a survey conducted by RP-Mission and Development (RPMD) Foundation Inc. in partnership with iSTORYA! News and OneNews.Ph, Belmonte was the most trusted and highest-ranked among Metro Manila’s local chief executives with 90.62 percent.
In June 2023, Belmonte launched and championed the Right to Care card, which recognizes the right of LGBTQIA+ individuals to decide whether to accept, refuse, and withdraw consent to medical treatments on their partners’ behalf. In an interview with Rolling Stone Philippines, Belmonte said that her government focused on “efficient tax collection and the reduction of unnecessary programs” during the pandemic, which increased the city’s annual revenue. And despite being the largest city in Metro Manila, the mayor announced during her 2026 State of the City Address (SOCA) that Quezon City’s budget has doubled while remaining debt-free.
BONUS: Raffy Tulfo
Although not included in the list of names mentioned by Robredo, Tulfo makes this cut due to his popularity and as a hypothetical running mate of the Naga City mayor in surveys. In a recent OCTA Research survey, the Robredo and Tulfo tandem topped the polls with 43 percent, leading nationally over the tandem of Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte and Senator Robin Padilla with 39 percent.
The senator’s major policies focused on labor rights, having filed bills such as Senate Bill No. 1493, or the BPO Workers’ Welfare and Protection Act, to enhance the rights and safety of BPO workers, and Senate Bill 2372, which would amend Article 126 of the Labor Code. However, he has already ruled out running for vice president, let alone president, and said that he intends to run for a senatorial post again.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No. Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo said in Naga City on November 9 that her decision is final, calling the matter long closed. She has repeated this since at least October 2025 but remains open to supporting any capable and deserving candidate.
Robredo named Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and Senators Risa Hontiveros, Bam Aquino, and Kiko Pangilinan. She also expressed confidence in Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, though he is ineligible due to his younger age.
Bam Aquino is a senator best known as the author of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, or Free College Law. He topped Publicus Asia’s PAHAYAG 2026 Second Quarter Survey as the most favorable senator and has not declared interest in running for president.
Risa Hontiveros has not formally declared, but she has said she is preparing for a presidential run. Akbayan and Magdalo party-lists endorsed her and launched the “Risa Na 2028” movement in June; she said she would consult party allies if she proves to be the strongest candidate.
In a recent OCTA Research survey, a Leni Robredo–Raffy Tulfo tandem topped the polls with 43 percent nationally, ahead of Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte and Senator Robin Padilla at 39 percent. Raffy Tulfo has also ruled out running for vice president or president.
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