By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Robredo said her decision had been final long before she entered the 2025 mayoral race, stressing that she never intended to use her Naga City candidacy as a launching pad for higher political office.
“It has been closed for a long time. There is nothing that could change my mind,” Robredo told RMN dwNX Naga in an interview on Monday.
The former vice president reiterated that even if she eventually decides against seeking another mayoral term, she would not return to national politics.
Robredo said her experience in national politics had led her to recognize that her strengths were better suited to local governance, where issues and political dealings were more straightforward. She also acknowledged that she lacked the political savvy and communication style she believed were necessary to navigate national political contests.
Despite her repeated declarations, Robredo remains a prominent figure in discussions surrounding the 2028 presidential election. An OCTA Research survey showed Vice President Sara Duterte leading Robredo by only seven percentage points in a hypothetical presidential matchup, with Duterte receiving 40 percent support against Robredo’s 33 percent. Another 27 percent remained undecided.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan, Robredo’s former running mate, however, pointed to the 2010 presidential election, when former president Benigno Aquino III initially resisted calls to run but eventually entered the race following public clamor. Pangilinan expressed belief that the Filipino people would once again have the final say in 2028.
For now, however, Robredo has made her position unmistakable: the presidency is not part of her political plans.
ia/xf
