‘Madame President’ Lustre to support Robredo in 2028
“Sometimes the best presidents are those who don’t want to run,” actress Nadine Lustre said on Tuesday in an ambush interview with reporters at the House of Representatives.
Lustre and her partner, Filipino French businessman Christophe Bariou, joined Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima at the Batasang Pambansa to file a series of measures seeking to promote environmental protection and animal welfare.
Lustre, who is fondly called “Madame President” by her fans, said she would “definitely” support former Vice President and now Naga Mayor Leni Robredo should she choose to run again for President in the upcoming 2028 elections.
The actress campaigned for Robredo in her 2022 presidential run and also backed De Lima when she ran for a House seat last year.
According to Lustre, Robredo “is really the best candidate for the presidency obviously, and I supported her way back when she ran the first time.”
Leni’s decision to make
But she said that the decision was up to Robredo, adding, “We’ll cross the bridge when we get there because right now, it’s really hard to say.”
Her comments also followed a recent lunch between Liberal Party (LP) and Akbayan stalwarts, stirring talks that the opposition was closing ranks ahead of the 2028 elections, with Vice President Sara Duterte considered the front-runner for the presidency.
Robredo has repeatedly said she wants to focus on local politics and she has no plans of running again for the country’s highest post.
De Lima, who was recently elected chair of the LP, said they were “not losing hope that she would change her mind … because for me, she’s the most winnable among the possible opposition candidates.”
“As you recall she was not able to make it (in 2022) because the Marcos-Duterte forces united at the time, but now we’re seeing what’s happening, we’ve seen how this country is being run,” De Lima said.
“So perhaps, those who did not vote for her then would have the chance to reflect again on what is happening to our economy, the overall state of our country, the national affairs—we need somebody like [Robredo], who’s not only clean but very capable,” she added.
