Many of my
friends will definitely disagree with what I am about to write but I am sure in
the end they would choose to understand me and allow me to exercise my
God-given freedom of speech. As a voter and as an observer, I merely want to air
my opinion in the political race that has awakened the consciousness of an
entire nation, or so I think.
The heated
VP debate last April 10 is no doubt a testimony to the character of each
candidate and it was indeed very helpful to people who haven’t made up their
minds. A lot of assessments, comments, and impressions indeed came out. I am
sure everyone has his/her opinion but I’d like to focus on the comments of some
about Cong. Robredo. In the question of whether the candidate has future plans
to run for President 6 years from now, the congresswoman was quick to raise the
No sign. This made her supporters tag her as one who isn’t a politician but a
public servant and one with integrity. It seems that people was very quick to
forget that only late last year, the lady also said that running for VP was “never
an option” for her. No offense to the lawmaker, I liked her once for showing
strength amidst her husband’s demise, and this was of course before she made
the decision to run as VP. But I think her
candidacy has changed the Bicolana.
She flip-flops. One of the important virtues we look for in a leader is integrity. One
who stands by what he/she does and says. When Robredo very quickly expressed in
the VP debate that she has no intention of running as President in the future,
many were impressed but I remember too well that only in September last year,
she also said that she
had no intention of running as VP and yet we found her standing in the VP
debate stage. Understandably, she could not resist the call to serve. For that,
I think we should allow her to get away with it but no one can blame me for not
believing that she won’t change her mind about her future presidential bid.
Why? This is because it is not the first time she flip-flopped.
In the controversial SSS pension
hike issue, Robredo was one of those who voted for increasing the SSS pension
in June last year, and yet when Pres. Aquino vetoed it, she
was quick to change her mind, even to the extent of defending
the president saying he did what must be done. Even when a group of
legislators tried to collect signatures to overturn the veto, Robredo was
silent. When SSS pensioners wanted their voices heard at the Congress, she was nowhere
to be found. How come she defends the action of the president when she fails to
even listen? I can say she is one who cannot stand firm, one who quickly bends
depending on the flow of politics. Hence her chosen political symbol a flipflop
is quite fitting to her character.
She capitalizes on bashing her opponent. This is sad but it is no wonder because the
one who brought her to the race is one who has made a career out
of throwing muds at his opponents. But for
me, this is minor. What disturbs me more is that she bashes Bongbong Marcos about
Martial Law (ML) atrocities yet she allows herself to enjoy the endorsement of
former Pres. Ramos – a key figure during the Martial Law era, one who had a rather direct
hand in its enforcement. Such an act is not only inconsistent but a clear
manifestation that contrary to popular impression - Leni Robredo is a politician.
She bashes one (even if BBM barely had a hand in the ML) but embraces another
(turning a blind eye on the role of Ramos during the ML era) because it was
politically beneficial for her to do so. And what gives her the right to throw mud when she is yet to write her contribution to the national interest? Moreover, since when did she make fighting
for the ML victims her mission? What does she have to say about other human
rights abuses? I would be very interested to know what she has to say about the
human rights violations of the Mendiola massacre and the Hacienda Luisita
massacre.
She wears yellow. Robredo has
seemed to embrace the ‘yellow propaganda,’ whatever that means. I don’t know but she seems to enjoy very much the
idea that she is like Cory who rose into political stardom because of the
demise of her husband. So now she dresses like her and Kris Aquino and her siblings.
You might think that the symbol should be no big deal, after all what matters
is that the person is sincere and humble etc. Yet this clearly shows where her
allegiance lies as shown by her defense of the actions and decisions of the
president. One example, she approved the BBL despite its unconstitutionality simply to side with Aquino. When and if she wins the race, what will her decisions be based
upon? How flexible will she bend to cater to the needs of Aquino?
True enough, yellow is used to symbolize being
pro-democracy as Cory Aquino herself is said to be pro-democracy. In fact,
there are people who call her an icon of democracy, whatever kind of democracy
they were referring too. But I am sure Robredo knows from history that former
president was hardly an icon of democracy as shown in the crucial decisions she
made as a president. In the so-called revolutionary government she put up –Cory
handpicked the members who made up the body which had written the 1987
Constitution. Instead of conducting election to determine the members of the
assembly as she should have in a democratic setting, she instead appointed
them. Many believe that EDSA People Power 1 was not about
democracy but was merely an uprising and a power grabbing episode because only a
few percentage of the electorate, not the majority, marched to EDSA to oust the
then legitimate and duly-elected president Ferdinand Marcos. Cory Aquino also unilaterally decided to release the top
rebel officials as soon as she became president according to her running mate Doy
Laurel. If Robredo is truly pro-democracy, I don’t think she should be happy to
be called the second Cory Aquino.
Most importantly, she is not ready, period. She said it herself. In an event she graced in
Kidapawan City last September 2015, it was Cong.
Leni Robredo herself who uttered the words - “I am not prepared" and "Running
for the country’s second highest post was never an option” and that she “…never
dreamed of becoming a vice president” and that “there are many others who have
the capability and experience for that position.” Note that she used the words ‘never’
more than once. She also said that her decision was final. What then made her think a month later when she filed her candidacy that she is prepared for the position?
The Vice Presidency is a
national post, the second-highest. And the requirements for it is the same as
the Presidential post. Therefore, it is no place for trainees. Experience in
serving the national interest in particular and in politics, in general, is essential because it takes a while before one
gets to learn the numerous problems, and solutions for that matter, that plague
an entire country. People are very quick to say that Robredo will make a good national
leader but how can we say this when the slate is virtually clean? On what basis
do we say she has clean records when there is no record of government service
to speak of save for less than 3 years as a lawmaker, and therefore she has not
be subjected to the same political pressure as other candidates who have had an
experience in a national post in the past have been subjected to.
Oh I’m sorry, I stand corrected. In the brief stint she has in the congress, we saw that she does not have a backbone and easily gives in even to unconstitutional propositions to satisfy her political leanings. She throws mud to advance herself instead of focusing on her platforms. She criticizes one when it suits her but is blind to another who can raise her political stake. If that is not being a trapo then I don't know what it is.
Oh I’m sorry, I stand corrected. In the brief stint she has in the congress, we saw that she does not have a backbone and easily gives in even to unconstitutional propositions to satisfy her political leanings. She throws mud to advance herself instead of focusing on her platforms. She criticizes one when it suits her but is blind to another who can raise her political stake. If that is not being a trapo then I don't know what it is.
I’d really wished that Robredo opted
to just continue her political career as a lawmaker where she can learn more
about it and gain experience in politics but I guess the events that transpired
are a nature’s way to bring out the character of the person. I simply think
that she has lost the strength I saw in her when her husband died, when she took
upon the call to serve her people in Bicol in his stead. Politics had very quickly tainted her and it was unfortunate that she chose to be dragged too fast into
the national political scene without much experience and political will. Most of all, it pains me
that she allowed herself to be used for the political gains of others.
