Former House Speaker Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez has announced his support to the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo in the upcoming national elections.
This was confirmed by Alvarez, who was once a staunch ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, during a press briefing on Thursday.
"We need a leader. And for the 2022 Presidential elections, given all these considerations and the crisis we have to overcome, that leader is a woman. Her name is Leni Robredo," he said.
This comes after Senator Panfilo 'Ping' Lacson resigned as chairman and member of Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma, making him an independent candidate for the upcoming elections.
"Senator Ping Lacson is the best, and our leaders on the ground have echoed that sentiment time and again. Even supporters of other candidates agree. And under ideal circumstances, they want to campaign and vote for him and see him lead the country. He is the most qualified to be President," Alvarez said.
"But the electoral terrain in 2022 is far from ideal, and fate had other plans. Time and context framed the narrative of 2022 in a way that gave traction, rightly or wrongly, to other candidacies instead. This is a difficult fact which takes courage to admit," he added.
But there are two frontrunners right now — Robredo and former senator Bongbong Marcos — and he prefers to support the Vice President.
"There is much potential there. She has also shown that she represents ideals which are substantially in line with the aims of Partido Reporma: to reform government and provide a better future for Filipinos," he said.
"We reasonably believe that the only realistic option at this point, with roughly a month and a half left, is to converge with Leni Robredo’s campaign. Together, we will pursue the realization of our collective aspirations to improve the chances of ordinary Filipinos at a better life," he added.
Alvarez also noted that ‘decisive action’ is needed right now with little time left before the 2022 national elections.
“With time still left, but admittedly not a lot of it, decisive action is necessary. We must respond to the demands of patriotism requiring us to set aside personal preferences, the end goal being a collective victory for good governance, a better future for Filipinos, and a strong and progressive nation,” the lawmaker stated.
