A day before Vice President Leni Robredo’s “important announcement,” personalities from the Akbayan party-list on Wednesday urged her to run for the 2022 presidential race.
Its first nominee, Perci Cendaña, spearheaded the call for the Vice President to seek the highest post in the land.
The group’s members tied pink ribbons along Tomas Morato Avenue in Quezon City.
Cendaña said the party-list is hoping Robredo would heed the call of her supporters.
“We cannot settle for a lesser evil candidate or a mediocre one. What we need is someone who we are sure of that could stand up against the killings, violence, corruption against dictatorship and Dutertismo,” he said.
Cendaña said they have remained unfazed by poor survey results of the Vice President.
“Akbayan si Leni” was the resounding cry of the leaders of the party as they publicly endorsed the Vice President.
In an activity in Quezon City to send off their nominees who will file their 2022 certificates of candidacy (COC), the Akbayan leaders said that Robredo is the “genuine democratic alternative… (to) thwart the complete return of the Marcoses to power and return the country to the path of democracy.”
Prominent party figures at the event were Cendaña, Senator Risa Hontiveros, former Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chairperson Etta Rosales, and former National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Secretary Joel Rocamora.
“Filipino voters no longer have to settle for ‘pwede na’ candidates among the crop of former tyrant enablers, or watch helplessly as they fall prey to the schemes of truly evil leaders such as the Dutertes and Marcoses of this world,” Cendaña said.
Cendaña added that Akbayan has a long and productive history of working with Robredo.
“Our own history of working with VP Leni goes back over many years. Her late husband Jesse, himself a model public servant, was a strong ally of Akbayan’s local government and youth leaders during President Noynoy Aquino’s administration.”
“Akbayan lawmakers also worked with VP Leni on key reform measures during her time in Congress. We are confident that she will champion more far-reaching reforms as we win the fight against the pandemic and transition back to democratic governance,” he said.
Akbayan said that it respects Robredo’s long and exhaustive process of discernment and her consistent efforts to form a united opposition.
“We do not see her process as a sign of hesitation, but of strong leadership to bring together a truly broad and diverse coalition of democratic forces. We are confident that she will respond favorably to the challenge of presidential leadership,” Cendaña said.
The activity was attended by leaders from the Sentro ng Nagkakaisang Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), Akbayan Youth, Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan (PKSK), Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP), LGBT groups and networks, LMS-SENTRO, and various representatives from informal settlers’ communities and organizations.