MANILA, Philippines – Now that she has the highest elective position among all members of the Liberal Party, Vice President-elect Leni Robredo will become one of its top leaders.
No less than President Benigno Aquino III, the current LP chairman, mentioned this in an ambush interview on Friday, June 17, when asked if Robredo would assume the party chairmanship.
“That has not been discussed. But she is aware that she will take one of the most senior positions. The chairman is the highest position but the day-to-day activities are handled by the party president. So, that will be decided by the party as a whole,” Aquino told reporters during the lunch he hosted for members of the Malacañang Press Corps.
Despite this, Aquino was quick to point out that they would still consider Robredo’s inclinations and not force her to anything.
“But, I’m sure she’s aware that she will be getting one of the two most senior positions. And, of course, we have to ask her preferences for this. We recognize the value of each individual within the party. We don’t force anybody to do it,” he added.
Asked what would happen to the LP after his terms ends on June 30, Aquino said it would undergo a change of leadership. As outgoing president, he said he would be considered an “elder” of the party.
“Traditionally, after elections, the LP has a change of leadership. And normally, it gravitates to the most senior public official we have. So I would not want to admit it, but I will be classified perhaps as an elder of the party. I’d just like to stress, I’m the youngest of the elders of the party,” Aquino said.
While he has no specific role yet, the President said he would push for platforms-based, instead of personality-driven, politics.
Aquino added he would want to continue the long-time advocacies of the party, as well as the gains of his administration.
“And, of course, we have various members of the party or are still active members of the party occupying different positions in government and we’d like to continue what has been done in the past 6 years and even the advocacies that we had before we entered as an administration,” he added.
Once the ruling party, many LP members have already jumped ship to PDP-Laban, the party of president-elect Rodrigo Duterte. – Rappler.com