Leni, allies’ reunion lunch stirs talks of ‘2028’ preps
A private lunch between stalwarts of the Liberal Party (LP) and Akbayan this week has stirred fresh talks that the opposition was closing ranks ahead of the 2028 elections as the hostilities between President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte continue to deteriorate.
On her Facebook account on Thursday, former Vice President Leni Robredo, posted photos with former Senate President Franklin Drilon, Senators Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan and Paolo Benigno Aquino, Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima, Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno and former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.
“Rare lunch out with people I have fought many fights with,” Robredo said in her caption. “First time since 2022 that we are all together.”
Commenting on their Feb. 5 lunch, Diokno said: “Happy afternoon catching up with friends I’m proud to have worked with over the years. Good memories, good conversations.”
De Lima, on the other hand, simply noted: “Buo pa rin (We’re still together).”
In a message to the Inquirer, De Lima repeated Leni’s remarks about their luncheon as “rare get-together with friends and allies.”
“Of course, we could not help but discuss many pressing national issues, including the 2028 elections, but we did not delve deeply into that matter,” she said.
“After not seeing each other for a long time and with so many things happening and work keeping us busy, what happened was more like catching up and exchanging stories,” De Lima said.
Party of 4 Presidents
Robredo, Drilon, De Lima, Pangilinan, and Abad are all leading figures in the antidictatorship LP that served as the governing party of four Philippine presidents, including the late Benigno Aquino III.
Pangilinan was Robredo’s vice presidential running mate in the 2022 presidential election with Bam Aquino was the campaign manager of the LP candidates, who were more popularly known the “pinklawan” tandem. They lost to the Marcos-Duterte “Uniteam,” the much-vaunted but short-lived alliance.
Diokno, De Lima and Hontiveros were part of their senatorial slate, with only Hontiveros making it into the so-called Magic 12 race winners.
Diokno and Hontiveros remain with democratic socialist Akbayan while Aquino is with the Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino.
Their private lunch comes a week after the LP, the country’s second oldest political party marked its 80th anniversary, where De Lima was elected chair and lawyer and former Quezon Rep. Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada president.
During that celebration, Pangilinan, the LP chair emeritus, boldly predicted that “in the midst of the biggest corruption scandal in the history of our republic, by joining forces with the widest range of people, the 2028 elections, much like the 2025 elections, is ours.”
Pangilinan and Aquino won their Senate seats while De Lima and Diokno got theirs in the House in the 2025 midterm elections.
None of those who were in luncheon reunion with Robredo hinted at any role that any of them would play in the 2028 national elections, including the former Vice President, who had chaired the LP and won as mayor of her hometown of Naga City in last year’s midterm polls.
Must only have ‘one’
In an interview with reporters during the Jan. 28 LP anniversary celebration at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City, Tañada acknowledged that his party needed to consolidate around “only one candidate” for president.
“Now, whoever that could be, that would still undergo discussions, due process, so that we could determine who is the best candidate to put forward … as a possible contender to VP Sara, if she intends to run,” he said.
Tañada, however, said it was “still too early” to say who they planned to field, adding that they would be able to pick the possible standard bearer by the third quarter of 2026.
“By then, everybody would be preparing who they want to field because the organization needs to be clear from the ground up,” he said.
What’s clearest for them, he added, was that a “Duterte alliance is not in the equation.” There could be “other talks with other groups,” he said without elaborating.
“At this point in time, I think it’s too early to float names because the objective is to strengthen first the Liberal Party to be able to leverage whatever negotiations are going to happen later,” Tañada said.
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