A coalition of civil society groups that vowed to forge a united front against the administration’s candidates in next year’s national elections has endorsed Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo as its presidential candidate.
Former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, convenor of 1Sambayan coalition, said they followed a “rigorous process” in reaching its decision to field the vice president for the top post.
“We consulted our local and foreign chapters, as well as our coalition partners who together have our three million members,” said Carpio said during a media forum on Thursday September 30.
He said that they based their decision in choosing Robredo on her “integrity, competence, track record, patriotism, vision for our country, and winnability.”
“We have chosen [Robredo] based on this criteria, we therefore ask [the vice president] to accept our endorsement to lead the Filipino people in these difficult times in our history,” said Carpio.
The vice president is yet to announce her decision whether to run or not for an elective post next year. She remains at the bottom of election surveys conducted by various pollsters.
In the most recent Pulse Asia election survey ranks 6th among possible 2022 presidential candidates, with a rating of only eight percent.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, remains the top choice for president in the same survey that was released this week.
The other nominees for president and vice president in the 1Sambayan lineup are former senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes, party-list Rep. Eduardo “Bro. Eddie” Villanueva, Congresswoman Vilma Santos-Recto, and lawyer Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno.
Robredo earlier said that her decision to run in the 2022 national elections would depend on the outcome of a unification ticket she was trying to forge.
