Two years after the two engaged in a political battle for the highest government post, former rivals President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and former Vice President Leni Robredo met again in Sorsogon province.
Robredo was one of the few people who welcomed Marcos to the Sorsogon Sports Arena. The exchange between the two was brief — they only shook hands and said hello.
Former Senator Bam Aquino was with Robredo.
The former vice president’s presence was upon the invitation of Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, a former governor of Sorsogon.
According to Escudero, Robredo was invited to join the activities of the Kasanggayahan Festival and be part of the President’s welcoming committee as a “Bicolana.”
“We invited [former] VP Leni to be a part of the Kasanggayahan festivities and also [to] join me in welcoming President Marcos to the province of Sorsogon as a Bicolana,” he said.
The original plan was for Robredo to join the President and the local executives on stage but she was not seen after she shook hands with Marcos.
“Well, as originally planned, she would go on stage for a while and watch the synchronized dancing that had been prepared. We were supposed to be seated side by side,” Escudero said.
“Apparently, there was an event with the bishop at the cathedral and she said she could not be late. In fact, she only waited for President Marcos to arrive before she left for Naga. She doesn’t have a plane or a chopper, so it’s three hours by car. So she left early,” he said.
Escudero said he had invited other politicians apart from Robredo but they left before Marcos arrived.
Senator Lito Lapid and former Senate President Tito Sotto also met with Robredo and Aquino.
Shared history
Escudero recalled that he, Marcos and Robredo first clashed in the 2016 elections, and the latter two did so again in the presidential race in 2022.
“The three of us actually have a history. For me, that’s symbolic because we got together in the sports arena — an odd trio, right?” he said.
The Senate leader said their interaction could serve as an example to other politicians.
“Maybe it’s a good lesson for politicians to learn from this. And it even happened at the sports coliseum of Sorsogon. That is to say, in the political race, let’s remember being sports, following the rules and regulations, accepting openly who will win, win a medal, or in this case the election,” he said.
For Escudero, this may be the first step towards a “healing” between the parties and while they have disagreements, these are not personal but only political.