MANILA, Philippines — Vice President and 2022 presidential candidate Leni Robredo has long projected herself as a no-nonsense public servant. In the event of a disaster, it visits the provinces for relief operations without fanfare. In interviews and debates, her responses almost always come down to her team’s work, as if she’s determined to divert attention from herself.
But what is Robredo like apart from being a public figure? At this point, everyone has heard that she commutes by bus between Manila and her Naga hometown, Camarines Sur – in keeping with her modest personality. But does this translate into other aspects of his private life?
In a roundtable with lifestyle reporters on Thursday, Jan. 13, the more personal information Robredo shared about herself laid bare a woman who was on-brand even off-camera.
A pragmatic romantic
Robredo’s fondness for movies and TV shows, for his part, reflects an aversion to drama and conflict.
“Before watching, I first ask, ‘Is it crying?’ (Before I watch anything, I ask first if it’s a teardrop),” she said.
“I want the ones that don’t stress me out (I like the ones that don’t stress me out),” she insisted, citing 90s light novels such as love affair with Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, and the sabrina remake starring Harrison Ford, as examples.
She’s the same way about her K-dramas: “I don’t like heavy drama; I like ones that are light and fun,” she said, and touched on favorites such as Doctors, Crash Landing on You, Descendants of the Sun, and Answer 1988.
A Spartan
Robredo watches these films and series from the small condo she shares with her daughters in Quezon City. Smallness, she says, compels them to live sustainably.
“We can’t afford to keep buying things,” she explained. “We have to be very smart about what we bring inside the condo – just a few clothes, just a few things.”
It helps that Robredo’s campaign color, a hopeful pink, has become a movement unto itself, with supporters giving him all manner of items in that hue.
“A lot of people keep giving me pink tops and blouses, so I don’t have to shop anymore,” Robredo explained.
She later added that she was never one to prep herself up in the first place and felt no pressure to spruce up her looks despite constantly having cameras on her.
“My late mother always said to me, ‘comb your hair (Can you at least comb your hair)! she recalls.
Robredo admits to having a skincare routine, but as expected, it’s nothing too intensive: cleansing, moisturizing and sunscreen – the latter of which her dermatologist niece has to persuade her to do. She also has someone to do her makeup for the events because she doesn’t know how to do it herself.
A mother tiger
Despite her penchant for simplicity, there was nothing simple about caring for Aika, Tricia and Jillian, her daughters with her late husband, former Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo – especially when the girls were small. It seems to be the only aspect of her private life whose complexity she welcomes.
“It’s pretty intense, when you hear it from my girls,” Robredo confessed of his parenting style. “I used to piss myself off about it so many times. They said when they were younger I was a mother tiger.
“I’m very focused on them (I was so focused on them),” she continued. “After 5 p.m. they had lots of extracurricular activities – student council, piano lessons, violin lessons, swimming – and the car was filled with piano parts, violin parts, bathing suits, their snacks. And while I accompanied them to these activities, I took care of their lessons at school, so that when we got home, they could study what I had prepared for them after dinner.
“When they slept, that’s when I prepared for my hearings the next day,” she added.
She thinks the rigidity paid off in the end; by the time the girls were in college, they had all become self-sufficient.
“I let ’em go but they still disciplined (I let go of the reins but they were still so disciplined),” she proudly said. “I don’t have a child who likes to go out, mumble (None of my kids like to go out partying). We could go months without help because they can all do household chores.
It is therefore not surprising that the three girls have become accomplished women in their own right: Aika has a master’s degree in public administration, Tricia has a medical degree and a master’s degree in business administration, and Jillian is currently studying biomolecular science. science in New York on a full scholarship.
A happy child
Shades of this parenting style – the premium on discipline and selflessness – can be seen in Robredo’s own childhood. Her father, in particular, was also a clear influence on her drive to help others.
Robredo’s father was a lawyer and, according to her, there would always be strangers in their home because he brought in needy people he met on his way home. The family would feed and clothe them, and she and her brother would be asked to give their toys to their guests. This happened more frequently as typhoon season approached, with many flocking to their homes for shelter.
However, this is not his fondest childhood memory. It’s much simpler, but still full of meaning: Robredo’s mother was a teacher, and she and her father picked her up from work in their Volkswagen Beetle every afternoon. They had parked by a dancing fountain near the office half an hour earlier, and she and her father were watching the water show while munching on freshly boiled peanuts. His mother, they knew, would be heading their way when the show ended.
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Robredo’s penchant for this simple ritual, based on his certainty, shows that she is nothing if not consistent. In or out of politics, she always seems to gravitate toward clarity and restraint.
Will this brand of quiet assurance – amid the chaos and bluster of the campaign season – lift her in the polls? Is the nation lining up for a teardrop, or is it in the mood for an old-fashioned romance? – Rappler.com
