VP Leni Leads 1Sambayan Nominees for President in 2022
(UPDATE) The 1Sambayan opposition coalition on Saturday released its list of potential candidates for president and vice president in the upcoming 2022 elections, including Vice President Leni Robredo.
In a virtual event held as the country celebrated Independence Day, the coalition presented its nominees for next year's elections along with the process and criteria they will use in selecting their candidates.
Apart from Robredo, the coalition also nominated the following:
- Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV
- Sen. Grace Poe
- CIBAC party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva
- Atty. Chel Diokno
- Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto
Among the criteria that 1Sambayan will use in determining their candidates are their character, personal and public integrity, competence, track record, dynamic vision for the country, and viable platform to address the country's problems.
A voting portal will be opened on July 1 to allow the public to take part in choosing who among the nominees will be the final candidates of 1Sambayan for the 2022 elections.
Led by former Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the 1Sambayan coalition aims to form a single slate of national candidates to run against the administration ticket backed by President Rodrigo Duterte.
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"What we are giving the Filipino people is a better alternative than what we have today. What we are giving the Filipino people is a better roadmap to recovery not only in the next six years but for the next decades to come," Howard Calleja, one of the coalition's convenors, told ANC in an interview.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Sen. Nancy Binay were initially part of the coalition's list of nominees, but they wrote to 1Sambayan to have their names removed in the final list, Carpio said. Binay said she was not interesed in running for president or vice president next year, he added.
Poe, Santos-Recto: No plans for 2022
Meanwhile, Poe thanked 1Sambayan for being part of its list of nominees, but said she has no plans of running for president next year.
"Sa abot ng aking makakaya bilang senador, nais kong pagtuunan ng atensyon ang pag-ahon ng ating mga kababayan mula sa pandemyang ito," she said.
Santos-Recto gave the same comment, saying she is focused on assisting Lipa City in its vaccination program and providing assistance to families during the COVID-19 pandemic. She added that she also has legislative duties to attend to.
For his part, Diokno said he was "very honored" for being nominated, but he "never aspired for those positions."
"Right now, I am focused on my Free Legal Helpdesk, and I hope to serve our country, especially the youth and the ordinary Filipino, in justice, accountability, and relief from the pandemic," he added.
On Sunday, 1Sambayan said it supports its nominees' intention "to think, weigh, and discern if it is truly their personal mission to be in positions of power."
"It is not an easy decision to make. After all, true servant leadership is a challenging vocation," it added.
Robredo earlier said she remained open to running for president despite the claims of former Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya that the vice president was running for governor of the province next year.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson declined the coalition's offer of a nomionation after Carpio supposedly "precluded any possible association" with him for pushing the Anti-Terrorism Law.