THE ruling Liberal Party’s candidate for vice president, Camarines Sur Rep. Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo, admitted on Saturday that the endorsement of President Benigno Aquino III doesn’t assure victory for her and her running mate, Manuel Roxas II.
“There’s nothing wrong with the endorsement. It doesn’t mean that if the President endorsed and campaigned for you, you will get automatically elected. That’s why we are making extra efforts in campaigning and making rounds because we know that we need to work hard,” Robredo said.
“It’s his responsibility to support and campaign for the candidates whom he see as appropriate for our country. Should he now let go?” she asked.
Robredo made the remarks after her rival for the vice presidency Senator Francis Escudero said Aquino should not have endorsed any candidate in the May elections to show that the polls will indeed be fair.
He added that the ‘straight path’ would have best exemplified the ideals of fair play had Aquino not gotten himself involved in the campaign.
“I was slightly saddened by the decision of President Aquino to endorse a candidate,” Escudero said in Cebu.
“It would have been better if he hadn’t, not because he did not endorse Senator Grace or me. It would have been better if the President just supervised and oversaw the conduct of clean and fair elections.”
President Aquino took the lead role in the LP’s latest political ad where he said there are people “who surely love only themselves,” referring to the rivals of Roxas and Robredo.
But there “are the people who truly love you and will continue to love you: Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo,” Aquino said in a thirty-second commercial.
Aquino is actively supporting the candidacy of Roxas and Robredo, even giving out ballers and campaign paraphernalia in sorties.
Robredo also slammed Escudero and said he did not complain during the 2013 senatorial campaign when Aquino adopted as part of the administration’s slate although he was an independent candidate.
“He did not complain about our endorsement before, why is he complaining now?” Robredo asked.
Escudero’s survey ratings have gone down from its highest at 43 percent in October to just 26 percent in the latest Pulse Asia results.
On the other hand, Robredo’s survey ratings have climbed consistently from seven percent in October. Now, she is within striking distance at 21 percent, five points behind the leader.
“The President sees that it’s important for his successor to follow his footsteps, that’s why he’s doing everything to continue what he has started,” she added.
