Robredo endorses Alyansa senatoriable bets Abalos, Pacquiao
Former Vice President Leni Robredo has endorsed two senatorial candidates running under the administration’s Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas coalition.
Former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and former Sen. Manny Pacquiao have confirmed that Robredo assured them of her support when they separately visited her in Naga City in Camarines Sur. Robredo is running for Naga mayor.
These two are the first to be endorsed by Robredo for the Senate outside of the traditional liberal/opposition circles.
So far, the former vice president has openly endorsed only former Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino, former Commission on Audit Commissioner Heidi Mendoza, and Ramon Magsaysay awardee and fisherfolk leader Francisco Ballon.
There have been reports that Pangilinan and Aquino—both of whom are outside the “Magic 12” winning circle so far in senatorial preference surveys—could gain the blessing of the Alyansa slate after two of its members, Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar and Sen. Imee Marcos, were endorsed by Vice President Sara Duterte.
Both Abalos and Pacquiao are friends of Robredo, who ran against President Marcos in 2022.
In the case of Abalos, Robredo endorsed him on April 23, her birthday, when he visited her in Naga. Like her late husband, former Naga Mayor Jesse Robredo, Abalos also served as mayor (of Mandaluyong City) and as Interior secretary.
Consistent support
“Let’s help him because he has been helping Naga City for a long time, especially during the height of Typhoon Kristine’’ (international name: Trami),” Robredo said. “He has been going back and forth to help us without much fanfare, but he has been consistent in helping us. That’s why I’m sure that if he becomes a senator, he would help us. So let’s help him,” she added.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, joined Robredo during a house-to-house campaign in Naga, where she characterized him as “kind and trustworthy.”
“We will always be behind him,” she said. “Even when we were rivals for the presidency [in 2022], he would still help me.”
Sought for comment, Pangilinan said: “That’s her prerogative. What’s important is VP Leni has been helping us ever since.”
Earlier this week, Speaker Martin Romualdez urged his partymates in the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats party to mobilize their resources to ensure a full Alyansa sweep this May 12.
But several local government officials aligned with the administration still endorsed Pangilinan and Aquino. Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, one of their earliest endorsers, explained that while the local coalition was committed to supporting the Marcos administration slate, “the reality is many… are not inclined to support a straight team and are looking for possible alternative candidates.”
