Election2022
Leni

14th Vice President of the Philippines

Personal Details

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Maria Leonor Santo Tomas Gerona April 23, 1965 (age 56) Naga, Camarines Sur, Philippines

Liberal (2013–present)

Jesse Robredo ​ ​(m. 1987; died 2012)

3

Quezon City Reception House

University of the Philippines Diliman (BA) University of Nueva Caceres (LLB)

Leni Robredo

Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (born Maria Leonor Santo Tomas Gerona; April 23, 1965) is a Filipina lawyer, politician, and social activist who is the 14th and incumbent vice president of the Philippines. Robredo was the wife of the late Jesse Robredo, who was interior secretary from 2010 to 2012. She served as the representative of Camarines Sur's 3rd district from 2013 until her inauguration as vice president in 2016. In the vice presidential election, Robredo defeated Bongbong Marcos by a narrow margin of 263,473 votes. A report released by the Supreme Court further widened her lead to 278,566 over Marcos. Robredo is the second woman to serve as vice president of the Philippines after Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the first vice president from the Bicol Region. In 2016, Robredo was awarded by the government of Thailand for her work and advocacy in women's empowerment and gender equality. Under her leadership, the Office of the Vice President also received the ISO 9001: 2015 certification for the office's quality management systems. On October 7, 2021, Robredo announced her bid for the presidency in the 2022 election.

Political Career

Robredo ran in Camarines Sur's 3rd congressional district during the Philippine general elections of 2013. On May 16, 2013, she was proclaimed winner, beating Nelly Favis-Villafuerte (of Nationalist People's Coalition/United Nationalist Alliance), wife of former Congressman Luis Villafuerte and member of the politically powerful Villafuerte dynasty. During her term in congress, Robredo was the vice chairman of the House committees on good governance, public accountability, and revision of laws, and a member of 11 other house panels. She was known for being a strong advocate of the Freedom of Information Act, and a strong supporter of the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Participatory governance and transparency were the major objectives and thrusts of Robredo's legislative agenda. The first law Robredo authored in congress was the Full Disclosure Policy Bill (HB 19), which would have mandated all government agencies and their sub-units and projects to disclose their budget and financial transactions in a conspicuous manner "without any requests from the public." Concerned that the marginalized sector should not be denied access to government frontline services and public meetings based on their attire, she sponsored the Open Door Policy Act (House Bill No. 6286), which prohibits government offices and agencies from implementing strict dress codes. Robredo also authored the People Empowerment Bill (HB 4911), which sought to allow more participation from Filipinos in decision and policy-making, and the Participatory Budget Process Bill (HB 3905), which sought to increase participation in budget-related decisions in government projects by locals. She also wrote the Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Bill (HB 3432) to prohibit discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, race, religion or belief, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions, language, disability, HIV status, etc. To promote transparency in the taxation process, she sponsored the house version (House Bill 05831) of what would eventually become Republic Act RA10708, the Tax Incentives Management and Transparency Act of 2009 (TIMTA). Other major legislation co-authored by Robredo includes the Anti-Dynasty Bill and the Healthy Beverage Options Act (House Bill 4021).