Former officials and employees of the Philippine Commission on Women and over 150 human rights lawyers are supporting Vice President Leni Robredo in her presidential bid in the May 9 elections.
The group believes the country needs an “extraordinary leader” like Robredo during these “extraordinary times” amid a slip in global rankings on gender equality and women due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The commission is the government policy-making and coordinating body on advancing the role of women in the country.
More than 150 human rights lawyers are also backing Robredo’s bid, saying she is the only choice for president.
“[This] has made the case for her stronger, if not, no longer subject to dispute,” the group said.
It said while Robredo has only been a public official for nine years, she has been a public servant for most of her life.
“She has brought her sense of solidarity with poor people, sharpened by all the time spent with them, to public office,” the group said, citing her experience at the alternative law group Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panlegal, where she handled cases for women, children, the urban poor, workers and fisherfolk.