Vice President Leni Robredo has transferred her voter’s registration from Naga City to Magarao town, both in her home province of Camarines Sur.
She decided to transfer registration upon the advice of her legal team, according to her spokesperson Ibarra Gutierrez.
“Yes, she did so, at the advice of her lawyers who wanted consistency in her actual residence at the moment,” the Robredo camp said in a statement.
Gutierrez said the Vice President has yet to decide if she would run for president in the 2022 national elections or not.
“She’s been very clear that insofar as the possibility of a gubernatorial run is concerned, that has to wait for a decision on running for president in 2022,” he cited.
While 1Sambayanan picked Robredo to run for president, several local officials of Camarines Sur wanted her to seek a gubernatorial seat, where Governor Miguel Luis Villafuerte is the incumbent.
Meanwhile, Senator Joel Villanueva believes that Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon would be a fitting candidate for vice president.
Robredo should consider choosing the veteran lawmaker as her running mate, he said.
“Vice President Leni is the obvious choice for opposition candidate. VP Leni is respectable, hardworking, and compassionate, as have we seen during the pandemic,” Villanueva said in statement.
“As for her choice of [vice president] if she decides to run for President, one element she can consider was the result of the previous senatorial elections, our Minority Leader Sen. Frank Drilon,” Villanueva opined.
“He is our 2016 senatorial elections topnotcher with more than 18 million votes garnered — highly competent, unblemished track record, brilliant and hardworking,” he added.
Before the Senate adjourned its plenary sessions last Wednesday, Drilon was teased by his colleagues about running in the 2022 elections.
“He should [run], he’s very qualified,” Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said.
“For the record, we’re still trying to have Sen. Drilon change his mind,” Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, who is Drilon’s party mate in the Liberal Party, said.
Drilon, who is still eligible for Senate reelection, previously said that he would retire from politics, saying he has been in government long enough and that he wants to “give others a chance.”
“I’m not running for any position, I have served enough, I think I have contributed. Let’s give others a chance,” he said.
If he does run for VP, Drilon would be going up against Senate President Vicente Sotto III, the running mate of Senator Panfilo Lacson, who is bidding for the presidency a second time, and President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been nominated by the ruling PDP-Laban party.
Filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) before the Commission on Elections are ongoing until October 8.
