NAGA CITY—Former President Fidel V. Ramos reiterated on Thursday his support for Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo amid criticism that he was not sincere in endorsing the vice presidential candidate during their meeting last Monday.
“[My] support to Congresswoman Robredo as a VP candidate was sincerely given, with no expectation of reward or favor,” Ramos said.
Robredo posted photos of her and Ramos during a meeting at Ramos’ Makati office early Monday morning on her Facebook account. One of the photographs showed Robredo and Ramos holding their thumbs up, a signature Ramos gesture, while another showed Ramos raising Robredo’s arm.
Robredo met with Ramos a day before the start of the 90-day campaign period at the latter’s office in Makati City.
In the meeting, Ramos shared his campaign experience in 1992 and offered Robredo some advice on how to woo voters as she visits different parts of the country.
Also on Thursday, Robredo vowed to establishing more university towns in the provinces and increase the budgetary allocations for State Universities and Colleges to give opportunities for students to find decent jobs.
“If we can improve the quality of education in our universities and colleges in different parts of the country, we can have more Iah Seraspi,” Robredo said, referring to a Romblon native who recently placed second in the Licensure Examination for Teachers despite studying in the countryside.
“We could bring more success stories like Iah should we have more additional university towns and should we add more funds to SUCs,” she added.
Ramos, who has yet to make a pronouncement on whom he supports for the presidency, said that the next President should be “world-class” while former interior secretary Manuel Roxas II and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte were trading barbs on media.
Duterte had earlier visited Ramos while he was considering whether to run for the country’s highest position.
In July last year, Ramos met with presidential tandem Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero, but reports said that there were no politics discussed during the meeting.
In a media forum, Ramos said that the two were just seeking his advice on how to run a grassroots campaign like he did in the 1992 presidential elections.