Marcos, Robredo meet, shake hands at Sorsogon event

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. met former Vice President Leni Robredo at the inauguration of the Sorsogon Sports Arena on Thursday.

The two briefly shook hands as Robredo, together with former Senator Bam Aquino, welcomed Marcos at the holding area. 

According to Senate President Francis ''Chiz'' Escudero, she invited Robredo to welcome Marcos on behalf of the Bicol region. Escudero was Sorsogon governor before his return to the Senate in 2022.

Lawyer Barry Gutierrez, who serves as Robredo's spokesperson, said the two would simply be in the same public event.

''VP Leni is there, after all, upon the invitation of SP Escudero, who has been very supportive of Naga,'' Gutierrez told GMA News Online.

In his speech, Marcos emphasized the need for unity to attain effective governance.

''Maaaring may pagkakaiba tayo sa paniniwala at sa opinyon, ngunit alam ko na tayo ay pinagbubuklod ng iisang hangarin—na maiangat ang antas ng pamumuhay ng bawat isang Pilipino,'' Marcos said.

(We could have opposing beliefs and opinions but I know that we are one in our goal to improve the lives of every Filipino.)

''Kaya naman umaasa ako sa suporta ng mga Pilipino. Sa tulong ninyo, alam kong makakamit natin ang mga hangarin natin para sa ikauunlad ng bansa,'' he added.

(That's why I'm hoping for the support of Filipinos. Through your help, we can attain our goals to develop our country.) 

Robredo defeated Marcos by 263,473 votes in the 2016 vice presidential race. Marcos protested before the Supreme Court, which upheld Robredo's victory in 2020.

The two faced each other again in the 2022 presidential elections where Marcos won with a commanding lead over Robredo.

Robredo will run for Naga City mayor in the 2025 elections. —KBK, GMA Integrated News