Thread by @rapplerdotcom

Opposition presidential bet and VP Leni Robredo now speaking at the Rotary Club of Manila 16th Weekly Membership Meeting. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo says "bad governance and corruption lies at the root cause of our problems," adds this is why Filipinos have turned to each other for help during the COVID-19 pandemic. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo earlier said if she wins as president, she wants to put an end to the "false dichotomy" of health vs. economy. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

READ: rappler.com/nation/electio…

@maracepeda Robredo now discussing the Office of the Vice President's pandemic response programs, which has drawn widespread praise for being quick and effective despite the low budget of Robredo's office. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: As we discovered one gap, we discovered others – and we moved to fill them.

Robredo has always said the OVP has been aiming to fill in gaps in the Duterte govt pandemic response. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo has also been giving clear and concise suggestions on how government can improve its programs. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: We were able to accomplish a lot of things because collaboration served as the lifeblood of many of our initiatives because we harnessed the bayanihan spirit of our people and we became the center of gravity for many private interventions. #PHVote #WeDecide | @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: This can only be sustained if trust is abundant... Trust is the currency of governance and we earn that trust when we act with integrity, with transparency, with compassion, and most of all, with empathy. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo will now be taking questions from members of the Rotary Club of Manila. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo on attaining food security in PH: "Agriculture will definitely be one of the top priorities of the administration if we make it," says it was also why Sen. Kiko Pangilinan was tapped as her running mate as agriculture has always been his advocacy. #PHVote #WeDecide

@maracepeda Robredo: Our goal now is to ensure that this health crisis does not turn into a food crisis, so we need to invest heavily in agriculture, particularly in technology and farm-to-market infrastructure. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo says budget for the agricultural sector should be increased, and support for Filipino farmers and fisherfolk are needed so they can modernize and scale up their livelihood. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo also says there's a need to calibrate imports on deficit: This has been the complaint of many of our farmers, livestock producers, that they have been suffering from the import liberalization policies of the government. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo on why she has pushed to professionalize the OVP: The conduct of our operations, the way we serve our people will be much better and more efficient if the bureaucracy is professionalized and managed well. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo cites three things she believes is important in addressing corruption: Accountability, transparency, and people empowerment. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: When I say accountability, it's not enough for public servants to be clean. It's not enough to say that this particular public servant is not corrupt. But it's very important to make sure that there are systems in place to force public servants not to be corrupt.

@maracepeda Robredo: Next is transparency. When I was a member of Congress, many of the bills which I filed were really to ensure that there is a very transparent way of being accountable. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: And the third really is people empowerment. I believe that people empowerment should be institutionalized and I’m saying this with the experience we've had with my husband in Naga. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo reiterates she didn't have any plans to run for president, cites the "hazing-like" attacks she has experienced these past 5 years – from the late dictator's son Bongbong Marcos' failed election protest vs. her, and Duterte booting her out from the Cabinet twice.

@maracepeda She would have preferred to run for a local post in her home province Camarines Sur instead. It was also the reason why Robredo took pains to do unity talks with other bets. But the talks failed. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo cites "non-negotiables" as the reason why unity talks failed: When the unification talks collapsed, in fact I was even on the verge of just weighing which of those contenders would make the most sense for me to support. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: But then because my non-negotiables were still there, at the last minute, I decided to run. And running and having a very difficult fight is not something that’s new to me. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: My presidency will be different from previous presidencies in the sense that I will be assuming office amid a terrible crisis that we are in. The focus will really be controlling the disease. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: A lot of focus will be on the kind of politics that we have, strengthening our electoral laws. I will be doing a lot of effort into making sure that all the systems to make corruption really difficult will be at hand. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: A lot of focus will be poured into making sure that whatever little money that we have will be judiciously and prudently used for what we need now. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: As far as in relation to the other two women presidents, I feel that decisiveness does not have anything to do with gender. For me, an efficient government is a government that gets the job done, and that is exactly what we have shown at the OVP, what we are set to do.

@maracepeda Robredo: We have seen decisiveness from many women all over the world, as they take the lead on the frontlines... It's so easy to equate decisiveness with brashness, but for me, that kind of leadership more often than not disempowers and frightens others into silence.

@maracepeda Robredo: That should not be the case. [Decisiveness should] mean channeling strength without bluster. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo once again describes as "unforgivable" the Pharmally scandal involving anomalous contracts inked by the Duterte government with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

READ: rappler.com/nation/robredo…

@maracepeda Even with the ongoing crisis, Robredo doesn't find the need to declare martial law: There's no need for martial law to reign because we have enough laws that we can use to get us through this crisis, if only gov't was more efficient, if only gov't was more accountable. #PHVote

@maracepeda Robredo on foreign policy: For China, we will collaborate with them in areas that we have no conflicts... but when it comes to the West Philippine Sea, we cannot deal with them without their recognition of the arbitral ruling. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: It will always be more beneficial to us to have an inclusive and independent foreign policy as opposed to one that favors certain countries. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: We will be open to working with everyone so long as it will be in the best interests of the Filipino people. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo reiterates controlling the spread of COVID-19 is crucial in revving up the pandemic-hit economy and bringing in jobs back. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: We have to make sure that corruption is in check. We have to make sure that we are offering businesses a level playing field… It’s a whole lot of many different moving parts. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo shuts her doors on uniting other presidential bets due to non-negotiables, but will instead focus on uniting Filipinos: If unity is not possible among the other presidential contenders, I have not given up on uniting our people.

READ: rappler.com/nation/electio…

@maracepeda Robredo: My decision to run as an independent was really to send a very important message that we are open to [those who want to] join our cause, to share our vision for better governance to our country. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda Robredo: I'm still honorary chair of the LP, but running as an independent to show this openness. We have seen where hateful and divisive politics can lead our country esp. during the pandemic... Now more than ever, we have to put people’s welfare first before politics. #PHVote

@maracepeda Robredo says after she filed her COC for president, she has started talking to other sectors outside of LP.

This will likely be reflected in her Senate slate, which she says would be inclusive. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

READ: rappler.com/nation/electio…

@maracepeda Robredo says surveys show she's weak in Class C and D1, sectors of the middle class who use social media and are therefore exposed to the disinformation about her. #PHVote #WeDecide | via @maracepeda

@maracepeda What would Robredo do on her first 100 days as president? Controlling the pandemic, realigning the national budget so it would be more akin to responding to the COVID-19 crisis, more efficient testing, tracing, and treatment, vaccinating as much people as possible #PHVote