MANILA – Former Vice President Leni Robredo said she agreed to welcome President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. at the Sorsogon Sports Arena in Sorsogon City last week “out of respect.”
According to Robredo, she immediately said yes when asked by fellow Bicolano, Senate President Francis Escudero, to welcome President Marcos in the said event.
“Tingin ko tama lang naman kasi bisita natin sa Bicol Region, ‘yun na nga ang problema,hindi ako naka-stay nang matagal kasi may hinahabol ako,’’ Robredo said in an interview with DZRH.
“Sa akin kasi hindi naman isyu ‘yun, in fact para sa akin ‘yung nagbibigay respeto ka sa posisyon, so wala namang… walang pag-aatubili ‘yung pag-oo ko kay Senator Chiz kung puwedeng sumama ako sa kanyang pagsalubong,’’ she added.
President Marcos recently thanked Escudero for initiating his encounter with Robredo, which he described as a “political reconciliation” among the two 2022 presidential election rivals.
Robredo defeated Marcos by 263,473 votes in the 2016 vice presidential race. Marcos protested before the Supreme Court, which upheld Robredo’s victory in 2020.
The two faced each other anew in the 2022 presidential elections where Marcos won convincingly over Robredo, 31,629,783 to the latter’s 15,035,773./PN
