Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said on Monday, September 27, it will be “naive” for Vice President Leni Robredo to think that either Senators Panfilo Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, or Manila Mayor Francisco 'Isko Moreno' Domagoso will withdraw their pronouncements because of her insistence to unite the opposition.
He made the remark after Robredo’s recent admission that she’s still in talks with the other presidential candidates for the possibility of having an opposition unity ticket for the 2022 polls.
The likes of Lacson, Pacquiao, and Moreno won’t withdraw their intentions to run because they’re already “psyched up to run,” Trillanes said in an interview over Teleradyo.
“Bakit napaka-naive naman natin (It is naive of us) to think that they will slide down for her, di ba? Dapat alam niya ‘yan. Malabo na mangyari ‘yan. Nagdeclare na, nagkasubuan na po ‘yan (right? She should know that. That’s impossible. They already declared, so they’re at it),” he added.
The former senator even agreed that the three should not withdraw anymore since it will feel like they are abandoning their supporters.
READ: United opposition? 'Too late in the day', says Lacson
Instead of trying to determine who she is going to face in a race, he suggested Robredo should prepare herself if she wants to seek the presidency.
“Kapag papasok po tayo sa ganitong eleksyon hindi natin pwedeng diktahan kung sino gusto nating kalaban. Dapat ang iprepara natin ‘yung sarili natin. Ang hanay natin, palakasin natin, palawakin natin. Iyan ang poproblemahin mo (If we are going to enter into this kind of election, we cannot dictate who we want to face against. What we should do is prepare ourselves. On our side, we should strengthen, we should expand. That’s what you should problematize),” Trillanes said.
Robredo is ready to join the presidential race if she is the chosen candidate of a united opposition but also admitted that she’s hopeful ton being able to unite the anti-administration forces since they have not filed their Certificate of Candidacy (COC) yet.
The schedule of the COC filing is set from October 1 to 8, which is barely a week from now.
READ: Trillanes gives Robredo a deadline: ‘I will run for president if she won’t’
This was not the first time that Trillanes called out Robredo. He did it, too, when the vice president held initial exploratory talks with Moreno, Pacquiao, Lacson, and Senator Richard Gordon.
Despite this, the former senator continues to push for Robredo to seek the country’s highest post but on Sunday, Sept. 26, Trillanes said he will run for president and represent the “true opposition” if she does not file her COC by 12 noon on Oct. 8.
Trillanes, who is allied with Robredo through opposition coalition 1Sambayan, is against the group's plan to align itself with Moreno and Pacquiao, both of whom he called enablers of the Duterte administration.