Robredo shuts door on 2028 run

NAGA CITY — Mayor Leni Robredo has again ruled out any plans to seek the presidency, or any national government post, in 2028.

In a press conference at Naga City Hall after Monday’s flag-raising ceremony, Robredo said she had decided to leave national politics behind even before she ran for mayor in 2025.

“There isn’t anything that could change that,” she said, emphasizing that she did not seek the mayoralty to make it a “stepping stone” to another post or to keep herself occupied while waiting for the 2028 elections.

Robredo said she made up her mind last year to remain in Naga, even if she eventually decides not to seek reelection as mayor.

“I reached that decision after a lot of self-assessment. I saw a lot of limitations in myself [that would discourage me] from taking on a national post, and I am very honest about it. Maybe I can do the job, but I think I might not have enough political savvy to navigate national politics. That, I think, is something I won’t be capable of,” she said.

Robredo acknowledged that many supporters have tried to persuade her to run for president again but she clarified that Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon was not among them.

She was responding to speculation that Dizon’s recent surprise visit to her was to discuss her political plans.

Robredo also denied that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had encouraged her to enter the 2028 presidential race.

“We never talked about 2028. He [Marcos] visited here because we were a site for Oplan Kontra Baha,” she said.

Oplan Kontra Baha is a nationwide flood mitigation and waterways cleanup program launched by Marcos and spearheaded by the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

Robredo thanked her supporters for continuing to believe in her but said the possibility of another national campaign was “already closed.”

Marcos and Robredo faced off in the 2022 presidential election, with Marcos emerging as the winner.