Lessons from Leni Robredo

Last Saturday, I had the honor of interviewing lawyer Leni Robredo for the 2024 She Talks Asia Summit. While in the speaker holding room, we spoke about her schedule that day: the conference in the morning, a wedding in the afternoon, and then the 10-hour bus back to Naga in the evening. When I raised the question of security concerns, she confidently replied “Not at all. Lahat naman ng sumasakay dun taga-saamin. Magkakakilala kaming lahat.” This moment reminded me why so many people are drawn to her brand of leadership, sparking a movement two years ago: A leader who can genuinely empathize with the experiences of their constituents, and can effectively respond to the needs of those at the fringes of society.

Focus on what needs to be done. Last Saturday’s attendees consisted of female youth leaders and young professionals, the majority of whom had volunteered to help Robredo’s 2022 election campaign in various ways. We asked them to submit their questions beforehand, and unsurprisingly, many wanted to learn about fighting against feelings of apathy and disillusionment. Robredo recalled instances when her team in the Office of the Vice President (OVP) would get frustrated by the insults and criticism they faced during her term. She advised them to shift their focus away from the difficulties and roadblocks, urging them instead to consider the significance of their work, “Don’t ask if it’s hard, ask if it is important … There are a lot of reasons to be frustrated but there is a bigger fight ahead. Drown out the noise and focus on what we need to do.”

She recognized how young people often feel a sense of hopelessness when their efforts to “change the world” fall short. For Robredo, what keeps her motivated is immersing in the different communities that Angat Buhay is serving, listening to the stories and experiences of the people, and understanding how they could cater to their needs. She encouraged the audience to find their purpose in “filling up the spaces that you have been given” and to “use the strengths you have to change a life,” trusting that these small efforts, when combined together, can make a significant impact.

Breaking ingrained biases starts at home. A significant hurdle that Robredo encountered in her presidential campaign was deep-seated biases toward female leadership. She shared how focus group discussions conducted among women who did not want to vote for her revealed that they perceived her as “mahina” or weak. This highlights how the perception of leadership in the country is still typically associated with men and stereotypically masculine behavior like assertiveness and aggressiveness—serving as an unseen barrier for more Filipino women to pursue leadership roles not only in politics but across various sectors.

Robredo suggests beginning with the fundamentals of child-rearing as a strategy to dismantle these biases. She urged parents to reflect on how they could be unknowingly perpetuating these biases within their own homes: Are girls being assigned more household chores than boys? Are the contributions of the female household members valued as much as the male members? Robredo emphasized that the essence of women’s empowerment is not to create a battleground between the sexes. Instead, it’s about recognizing how everyone’s unique strengths are complementary, and cultivating an environment where every individual’s abilities and contributions are acknowledged and valued equally.

Wisdom of hindsight. Perhaps the most refreshing part about the interview was hearing Robredo candidly recognize how her office was slow to respond to disinformation. Despite valuing her calmness as her “superpower,” she acknowledged a lost opportunity to quickly address the misinformation circulating about her. Her initial strategy to just ignore them enabled these false narratives to dominate the public discourse and by the time efforts were made to counteract them, their messages only resonated with those within their echo chambers.

One thing Robredo does not regret however is the timing of her decision to run. Despite some supporters believing an earlier commitment could have improved her chances, she believed what mattered more was that she was able to carry out her work as vice president without her decisions being colored by political ambitions. She took pride in the OVP’s efforts to serve the most remote barangays, regardless of their electoral significance. For Robredo, this was the more important accomplishment.

Changing societal views on leadership and creating a political landscape that is truly inclusive of women will be a gradual process, requiring time, education efforts, and multiple election cycles. In the meantime, there is much we can learn from Robredo’s example to focus on filling up the spaces we move in, and on improving the lives and circumstances within our reach.

eleanor@shetalksasia.com