MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4:12 p.m.) — Partido Reporma said Thursday that it is now backing the bid of Vice President Leni Robredo for the country's highest executive position, noting that her ideals are in line with the political party's thrust.
Partido Reporma, founded by ex-Defense Secretary Renato de Villa, earlier supported the presidential bid of Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson who resigned from the party and now runs as an independent candidate.
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"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," Partido Reporma President and former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said in a statement.
Alvarez explained that Robredo is among the candidates who stand out from the rest, even if her survey ratings lag behind the frontrunner.
"It is evident that her campaign has gained, and continues to gain, significant traction. 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.
Alvarez said that the party's members and officers will work to ensure to strengthen Robredo's bid for the presidency and will be represented by additional sectors of society, especially those who hail from Mindanao, where the bailiwick of President Rodrigo Duterte is located.
Alvarez said that Mindanao " now runs the risk of being neglected again when Duterte steps down from office."
Earlier today, Lacson said he is withdrawing from the political party to run as an independent candidate after Partido Reporma's slate in Davao del Norte, led by Gov. Edwin Juhabib — party secretary general — chose to endorse another presidential bet.
Meanwhile, Alvarez said that under ideal circumstances, leaders and supporters of other candidates would want to campaign and vote for Lacson, saying that he is "most qualified to be president", citing his record as a public servant.
"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," Alvarez explained.
On Thursday, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner George Garcia said that a change in a candidate's affiliation after the filing of their candidacy will have no bearing on the candidate.
Presidential bets urged to rally behind Robredo
Democratic socialist partylist Akbayan on Thursday called on other presidential bets to follow Partido Reporma's recent move and "rally behind the people's popular campaign to elect Leni Robredo as the next president" of the country.
"Even as we expect more endorsements for VP Robredo to happen soon from various other political forces and personalities, we call on the other presidential candidates, especially those who share our advocacy against the return of the Marcoses' legacy of lies, corruption, and plunder, to recognize that VP Robredo is our best chance right now to reassert human rights as a foundation of our society, and reclaim rule of law and democracy," the group said in a statement shared by Sen. Risa Hontiveros' camp.
Hontiveros, who is on the Robredo-Pangilinan senatorial slate, is Akbayan chair emeritus.
"We encourage [the presidential bets] to move beyond personality politics, cross party lines, and rally behind the people's popular campaign to elect Leni Robredo as the next president of our country," Akbayan said.