The late Jesse Robredo may be known for his tsinelas leadership, but his wife is following something else: Chucks leadership.
Their daughter Aika shared a photo on Instagram of Leni wearing a yellow pair of Chuck Taylors. The photo was taken in a mall as the two were shopping for a birthday gift. The photo is captioned with:
“Bakit ka naka-Chucks?”
“Sumakit na ‘yung paa ko sa heels!”
(“Why are you wearing Chucks?”
“Because my feet hurt from wearing heels!”)
Leni Robredo is running for vice president under the Liberal Party with Mar Roxas. Many have criticized her for her lack of political experience, but a campaign video shows that she makes up for it in public service.
Leni founded the Lakas ng Kababaihan ng Naga Federation, an organization that provides training and livelihood opportunities for women, and the Local Poverty Reduction Action Team (LPRAT), which helps alleviate poverty. She is considered a supporter of the Freedom of Information Act and the Bangsamoro Basic Law, and was also one of the authors of the Tax Incentives Transparency bill.
She and her husband are known for their humble lifestyle, which Energy Secretary Rene Almendras described as:
Tsinelas leadership is the willingness to wade in the flood, willing to go where you normally do not go, to the most remote areas, just to be with the most disadvantaged people. We all know Sec Jesse rarely said no; that was why he was one of the most traveled Cabinet members.
Jesse passed away in 2012 when the aircraft he was riding crashed off the shore of Masbate.
After his death, Leni promised to continue her husband’s advocacies. She has also espoused the same lifestyle, where she was seen waiting along a highway for a public bus to take her home to Naga, and for sneaking in the back door of the Plenary Hall to avoid the red carpet of the State of the Nation Address (SONA).
As for those yellow Chucks, it sure goes well with that dress!
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