Vice President Robredo Announces Candidacy for Philippine Presidential Election

Vice President Leni Robredo (Photo by Bloomberg)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Leni Robredo, Vice President of the Philippines who has strongly criticized President Rodrigo Duterte's handling of COVID-19, has declared her candidacy for next year's presidential election.

According to Bloomberg and other sources on the 7th (local time), Vice President Robredo announced that she plans to complete her candidate registration with the Commission on Elections on the 8th.

In a live broadcast speech that day, Vice President Robredo criticized the administration for pursuing selfish interests amid hunger, unemployment, and lack of medical services caused by the COVID-19 aftermath. She promised to fight for the Philippines not only in the election but also during the remainder of her term.

She emphasized, "Corruption, incompetence, and indifference must be replaced by excellent and capable leadership."

Vice President Robredo, an economist with a degree in economics, a human rights lawyer, and a civic activist, has clashed with the president on various issues, including criticizing Duterte's 'war on drugs.'

She entered politics as a member of the House of Representatives in 2013, one year after her husband, a senior official, died in a plane crash. If she wins next year's presidential election, she will become the third female president of the Philippines, following Corazon Aquino and Gloria Arroyo.

Meanwhile, other presidential candidates include Senator Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino boxing hero who was the first to complete registration, and Francisco Domagoso, former actor and current mayor of Manila, who has also completed candidate registration.

In recent polls related to the presidential election, Sara Duterte, daughter of President Duterte and mayor of Davao, who is leading, has recently registered as a candidate after announcing her intention to run again for the mayoral position of Davao.

The Philippine president serves a single six-year term, and the president and vice president are elected separately through elections. The Philippines will hold elections next May to elect the president, vice president, members of the House and Senate, and numerous government officials.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.