Clarity, courage

Vice President Leni Robredo’s address to the nation on Monday afternoon, to explain her resignation from the Duterte Cabinet, was a case study in effective speech. But as political scientists and communication scholars studying her remarks in the future will likely agree, it was effective because the speech suited both official occasion and personal character.

The occasion called for a forthright explanation of her resignation, a potentially politically disruptive event, and the value system and decision-making that led to it; at the same time, her character required that she speak calmly but candidly.

Speaking in both Filipino and English, the Vice President offered, above all, clarity.

She was clear about the circumstances: “Tulad ng naipahayag kahapon, kung ako ay hinaharangang dumalo at makibahagi sa mga Cabinet meetings, imposible nang magawa ko ang aking tungkulin bilang housing secretary.” (As explained yesterday, if I am prevented from attending and taking part in Cabinet meetings, meeting my responsibilities as housing secretary will become impossible.)

She was clear about her hierarchy of values: “My highest loyalty is to the Constitution and to you, the Filipino people—a vow that both the President and I took when we assumed our offices. This means, I must be free to speak my mind to protect you, your dreams, and your future.”

She was clear about the parameters: “Along with many of you, I have expressed my strong opposition on issues like the Marcos burial. We still hope that the President will reconsider his position on these issues. We will continue to support policies and actions from this administration if we believe these are right and just and will benefit the last, the least, and the lost. If they don’t, we will not hesitate to dissent.”

She was clear about the stakes: “Higit sa lahat, buong tapang tayong magmamatyag at magbabantay nang hindi na magbalik pa ang anumang diktadurya—na siyang kumitil sa libu-libong buhay noong rehimeng Marcos.” (Above all, with full courage we will guard against the return of any dictatorship—which killed thousands of lives during the Marcos regime.) She then invoked the defeat of Marcos’ forces and at the same time evoked Corazon Aquino’s moral language: “We have fought this battle before—and won. We will never let anyone revise our history and twist it to turn evil into good.”

She was clear about the battleground: her own position as vice president. “Hindi natin hahayaang nakawin ang pagka-bise presidente, sapagkat iyon ay taliwas sa boses ng nakararami.” (We will not allow that the vice presidency be stolen, because that is against the voice of the many.) She added: “The vice presidency is not just about one person; it’s about you and your rights. What is at stake here is our collective future.”

And she was clear about the challenges that lay ahead—in a polity where despite the killing of over 5,000 suspects in the Duterte administration’s so-called war on drugs, the President himself continues to enjoy high popularity ratings: “Since we released our statement yesterday, many have asked what’s next? I have sensed despair and anxiety and always that question: What will happen to us now?” Her answer was equally clear: “This is not the time for fear. It is a time for conviction. It is a time for courage.”

The Office of the Vice President has one of the smallest budgets of any government agency; without her housing portfolio, Robredo becomes dependent on that modest budget. Shutting her out from the Cabinet, Mr. Duterte’s passive-aggressive way to force her resignation means that, in terms of government resources and access to Malacañang, she has truly been marginalized.

Now the circumstances that led to her departure, and her unequivocal stance against the Marcos burial and the wave of extrajudicial killings, and even her marginalization, have forced on Robredo a title she did not want: the true leader of the opposition. But she is also in a place she knows very well and understands the true potential of: The margins.