VP Leni Robredo confidently and eloquently confronted the questions thrown at her by seasoned media practitioner Boy Abunda in a one-on-one interview that made 250,000 live viewers glued on their screens.
Following Bongbong Marcos’ record-breaking interview a day earlier, Robredo’s take on the series of questions, that Boy Abunda asked the first two aspirants (Senator Ping Lacson, Bongbong Marcos), was highly anticipated. She topped the worldwide top trends list on Twitter, and more than 250,000 tuned in to her interview on the Boy Abunda Talk Channel. As most hoped and expected, Robredo didn’t sweat too much in tackling the national issues, and even personal issues, she was asked to comment on.
On mining and environment.
VP Leni believes that people empowerment must be pursued when it comes to the issues that concern mining and the environment.
“Mahalaga na ini-empower at binibigyan ng boses ‘yong mga maaapektuhan” she said, after expressing her intent to revert President Duterte’s decision to lift the 9-year moratorium on mining, which allowed new mining companies to secure deals and contracts with the government.
“Maraming mga batas na dapat naipasa na…” she noted arguing the help they could render in determining which places should be considered as no-mining zones.
She also pushed for reforms in concerned government agencies, to make sure their roles and accountability in the matter, are clear. She believes in sustainable mining but argues that it can only be achieved if there are working mechanisms that allow affected individuals to take part in making decisions, especially when it comes to their safety and livelihood.
On covid response.
“Kailang ang sense of urgency sa pagrespond kasi every second counts” was Robredo’s response when asked how her government will handle the pandemic. She said that prompt action must be carried out once the problem begins.
“I will be on top of everything. Ako mismo ang tututok sa day-to-day response”, she assured, once she became the president.
She noted several countries with the successful pandemic response and suggested taking cues from them to combat the crisis. She believes that government agencies must work harmoniously.
“Pag panahon ng krisis, kailangan mag-micro manage dahil buhay ang nakataya” she responded, when Abunda wondered how she will be on top of everything, given the daunting and demanding nature of her future job.
On poverty and joblessness.
Robredo took pride in her ‘Kabuhayan sa lahat’ program, which she said has helped her office a lot address the issues of unemployment and hunger in many parts of the country. “Kailangang maibalik ang tiwala sa pamahalaan…” she insisted, noting the necessity of winning the public and business community’s confidence on the government’s plans and efforts.
“Kailangan ang gobyerno maasahan, hindi corrupt…kailangang transparent” she argued in making programs work, before recognizing the need to pay extra attention on industries where job opportunities are present and accessible. She also believes that giving unemployment insurance is necessary, noting that “…maliban sa ayuda, kailangang bigyan ang tao ng pagkakataong makapagtrabaho”
On migrant workers and OFW.
Robredo believes that Filipinos should only work abroad by choice and not by necessity. “Dapat ang overarching principle ay ‘yong mga kababayan natin magtatrabaho sa abroad dahil yun ang gusto nila. It should be by choice and not by necessity”. She argued that the government must work hard to ensure that jobs are available in the country to discourage the local labor force to seek employment overseas, and thereby avoid what Abunda explained as the ‘unquantifiable cause’ that contributes to the destruction of the Filipino family.
That said, the Vice President believes that OFWs won’t disappear anytime soon, and instead, she pushed for creating better opportunities at home to encourage them to stay.
On social media and cyber-pornography.
Abunda asked Robredo to comment on the issue concerning the rising cases of teenagers going astray because of pornography addiction. The host took the story of the young pop star, Billie Eilish, who admitted that her life turned into a wreck when she became a porn addict. Abunda wanted to know the policies Robredo’s government will adopt to address the issue, especially since she is also a mother with children.
“Bilang nanay, pinakapriority ko na gumaling siya” she said, bringing to the discussion the lack of specific laws that pursue the accountability of social media sites for making pornographic materials accessible to demographic groups deemed to be unprepared to digest adult contents.
On abortion and rape.
The presidential aspirant admitted she is very conflicted about the topic because “…my faith teaches me na bawal ang pumatay”.
That said, she expressed her openness to discussions about decriminalizing abortion, noting that there are instances where the mother’s life is at stake. She also recalled her time when she was a member of a non-government organization that advocates legal abortion.
On government’s anti-drug campaign.
Robredo criticizes the government’s response as too focused on street-level enforcement. “Dapat sana whole of government approach” she said. She also noted that the chairman of the country’s Inter-Agency on Anti-Illegal Drugs, which she headed for 18 days, must hail from the Dangerous Drugs Board, as she recognized the latter’s work on policymaking.
She also addressed the lack of complete data related to illegal drugs and users in the country, stating the lack of details about the interventions the government introduced to change the numbers.She also went after the suppliers and she noted that “…kung di natin tinututukan ang constriction ng supply, tuloy tuloy lang ‘yon”
On the national debt.
Abunda reminded Robredo of the country’s debt which more than quintupled in the last four presidencies. The host asked what steps Robredo’s government will undertake to pay the country’s external debts, to which she answered “Sisiguraduhin ko na ang nautang sa natin mapupunta sa mga dapat papuntahan”, saying that it should give a thousand-fold return to the Philippine economy. “Bakit pa tayo uutang kung ang return sa atin ay hindi naman ganon kalaki?” she implied.
She promised transparency and accountability about debts her government will make out of necessity. “Hindi masamang u,utang kung kinakailangan” she stated, as long as doing so will provide the country benefits. She also believed that mechanisms are properly legislated to pay the debts the country incurred, noting the importance of raising our gross domestic product as means to generate funds. “Aayusin natin ang pamahalan, ang mga institusyon at tiwala ng tao sa pamahalan” she suggested, arguing that it may be the only way to strengthen the economy, and thus allow the Philippines achieve a fiscal status where it can easily pay its debts.
On West Philippine Sea dispute.
Robredo did not directly answer the question on the country’s preparedness to wage a defensive war, should all diplomatic efforts fail. She instead argued that all measures must be carried out to make sure the country will never have to choose between diplomacy and war.
“Meron tayong arbitral ruling na pabor sa atin” she insisted, noting the need to leverage it in pursuing our sovereignty in the disputed territories.
“I am for nurturing our international relationship with China, but there must be mutual respect” she stated, recognizing the need to adhere to existing international laws. She also stressed the importance of establishing a coalition between nations claiming parts of the West Philippine Sea, and the forging of alliance with both traditional and emerging countries, to help the Philippines preserve its rights over the contested islands and seas.
On qualifications as president.
Robredo believes that the constitutionally-mandated provisions on who can run as president of the republic, do not need modifications. She admitted that it’s a contentious matter but she expressed her understanding of why the framers of the constitution had to come up with those requirements.
For her, it’s the current political system that needs changing.
“..baguhin ang klase ng politika na namumuo” she argued, noting how our political systems deprived commoners a chance to pull of decent election campaigning, due to lack of financial resources and patronage.
On President Duterte’s remarks against her capacity.
Abunda quoted Duterte’s remarks against Robredo whom the president described as ‘mahina sa diskarte’, to which the presidential aspirant responded with a reminder about what her office has done so far in pulling off efforts to address several issues in the country. “Yung diskarte hindi ‘yon nakikita sa salita, kundi sa gawa” she stated.
Robredo noted her office’s challenges, including the lack of resources, which she said she successfully hurdled because of ‘diskarte’ (strategy), reminding people of her presence in almost every calamity, to address the immediate needs of the victims.
On why people should vote for her and not the other candidates.
Robredo was being brutally when she didn’t sugarcoat her answers on why they should not vote for the other four candidates taking the hot seat. She described Marcos as a liar and a perpetual absentee in times of crisis, thereby undeserving of the vote; Moreno, because of his lack of clear stand on many issues; Lacson for being ‘all talk but lacks on-the-ground initiatives’; and Pacquiao, because good intention alone is insufficient.
When asked it’s her who deserves the vote, she reminded the voters about the crucial roles that female leaders around the world victoriously pulled off during the pandemic. “Pinakita ko yan sa maraming trabaho namin sa OVP…” saying how her office hurdled many crises with flying colors.
On Philippine’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Robredo will allow ICC prosecutors to commence their investigations on the alleged crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Duterte administration. “Magiging very transparent tayo, kung walang tinatago, wala tayo dapat ikatakot” she committed, noting the court’s very important role in safeguarding the citizens around the world from abusive governments.
Overall, this interview went well. It addressed certain vague issues and clarified Robredo’s stance on them. We can’t help but notice Abunda’s frequent interruption, which to many, have hampered the presidential aspirant’s chance to complete her thoughts on various matters. That said, there’s still a silver lining to that, as that allowed the voters and would-be voters, to understand her preparedness to tackle such tough questions, head-on, and without stuttering.