Nearly 50 government officials under former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo are endorsing Vice President Leni Robredo for president in the May 9 elections – in stark contrast to the former Chief Executive who is backing the candidacy of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
The 47 officials during the Arroyo administration issued a joint statement on Wednesday, saying: “We vote Leni Robredo for President. She leads the Philippines through the pandemic and other fronts. With her, we stay safe, restore our economy and social fabric, and keep our Republic whole and secure.”
This developed as Robredo is set to visit vote-rich Cebu province again on Thursday and to unveil a jobs plan to present to the voters.
Following a two-day visit to Northern Mindanao, Robredo will meet with Cebuano volunteers and supporters, religious groups, and members from various sectors, as well as attend people’s rallies, to thank her supporters and outline her plans if elected President.
This latest endorsement for the Vice President adds to the growing list of pronouncements of support for her presidential bid in the May 9 elections.
Previously, 23 Cabinet secretaries and senior officials under former President Fidel V. Ramos backed Robredo’s presidential run, expressing grave concern over the “proliferation of misinformation, dubious promises and outright falsehoods” emerging ahead of the polls.
Robredo also got the endorsement of nearly 100 former Cabinet members, senior officials, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chiefs, and top diplomats who served under former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
“She is rock-steady for military might, human security, and peace talks. She guards our Exclusive Economic Zone with constant vigilance and honorable diplomacy. As President, Chief Diplomat, and Commander-in-Chief, Leni Robredo stands in front of our great battles, here and beyond our shores. Vote Leni Robredo. Let the Philippines lead,” the Arroyo administration executives said.
Ignacio Bunye, Arroyo’s former Press Secretary and one of the signatories to the statement of support for Robredo, verified the document along with former Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit.
They and the 45 others said many Filipinos are “beset by fear, anxiety, and lethargy,” stressing the need for the country to be led by a “strong woman” to “rekindle our energy and resolve.”
“Leni Robredo represents the tough love of our mothers. She has the tenacious will to persuade. She drives our communities along the path of resilience. She listens to the high and low. She quiets down the babel of voices to bring our aspirations together. She lifts up small enterprises, fishers, and farmers,” they said.
“She helps create productive and fairly paid work through a covenant between business and government. She cloaks the weakest from disease, ignorance, and injustice,” the former officials added.
They believe Robredo will uplift families, teachers, and schools to beat the country’s “crisis in education.”
“The rising generations are starved of useful learning. Our ladder to the most valuable, stable, and fulfilling jobs in the world is rotting. Leni Robredo assembles families, teachers, and schools to overcome the crisis in education. Professionals, civil society, corporate social responsibility, and the donor community are behind her,” they said.
The ex-officials also emphasized that Robredo is “honest with people’s money.”
“The work ahead is to gather the nation around a battle of grit and fortitude. Leni Robredo leads us in the uphill climb. Young minds craft her roadmap. Her daily work is transparent in talk and action,” they said.
“Our tasks are exceedingly complex and challenging. Health has moved to the center of our concerns. Remote work, pandemic-proof systems, and digital commerce are today’s bywords. We must be abreast of the new ways of earning and living. As challenges mount, Leni Robredo does more in less time,” they added.
They also pointed to the problem of climate change as well as domestic threats, saying Robredo would be a “bearer of balance, calm, and hope.”
“Climate change is here—floods, stronger typhoons, and deadly droughts. Domestic threats such as organized crime, phishing, drugs, and terror are unabated. We can only fight back with the iron fist of the law gloved in science, faith, and creativity,” they said.
Other Arroyo officials who signed the joint statement of support for Robredo are:
Silvestre Afable Jr., former Office of the President Communications Director
Estrella Alabastro, former Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary
Dante Canlas, former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General
Avelino Cruz Jr., former Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary
Edilberto de Jesus, former Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary
Leila de Lima, former Commission on Human Rights Chairperson
Albert del Rosario, former Philippine Ambassador to the United States
Teresita Deles, former Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
Jesli Lapus, former DepEd and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary
Florencio Abad, former DepEd Secretary
Imelda Nicolas, former National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Lead Convenor
Joe Nathan Tenefrancia, former Chief Presidential Legal Counsel
Rene Bañez, former Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner
Veronica Villavicencio, former NAPC Lead Convenor
Thomas Aquino, former DTI Undersecretary
Cliff Burklet, former Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary
Vilma Cabrera, former DSWD Secretary
Adrian Cristobal Jr., Intellectual Property Office (IPO) Director-General and DTI Undersecretary
Macabangkit Lanto, former Deparment of Justice Undersecretary
Cecilio Lorenzo, former DND Undersecretary
Mateo Montaño, former DSWD Undersecretary
Alexander Padilla, former Health Secretary
Francisco del Rosario, former DND Undersecretary
Antonio Salvador, former Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Undersecretary
Jose Santos, former DND Undersecretary
Eduardo Escueta, former National Police Commission Vice Chairman
Diwa Gunigundo, former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor
Ronald Solis, former National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) Commissioner
Jorge Sarmiento, former NTC Deputy Commissioner
Rene Sarmiento, former Comelec Commissioner and OPPAP Officer-in-Charge/Undersecretary
Othello Carag, former DND Assistance Secretary
Emily Abrera, former Cultural President of the Philippines President
Zorayda Amerlia Alonzo, former Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) President and CEO
Victoria Avena, former Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) Commissioner
Edita Bueno, former National Electrification Administrator
Ruben Carranza, former PCGG Commissioner
Mary Anne Colayco, former Energy Regulatory Commissioner
Lilia de Lima, former Philippine Economic Zone Authority Director General
Cesar Garcia, former National Intelligence Coordinating Agency chief
Danilo Gozo, former Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation Director
Francisco Licuanan, former Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman
Leopoldo Maligalig, former Philippine Military Academy Superindentent
Eduardo Matillano, former Philippine National Police Director and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Director
Vitaliano Nañagas, former Development Bank of the Philippines Chairman
Romero Federico Quimbo, former HDMF President