very day we get to read news about presidential candidates Bongbong Marcos, Isko Moreno, Ping Lacson—though not as often, but we hardly read about Leni Robredo. Is she still running for president? If so she needs to revamp her campaign and probably start by firing whoever is running her campaign. Otherwise, she may as well throw in the towel at this stage and spare her supporters the anguish of a slow, drawn-out loss in next year's elections.

For starters, her opponents are, more often than not, photographed unmasked and smiling, or expressing strong emotions in a speech. Robredo on the other hand is always photographed wearing a mask. Yes, we get that she is trying to project a "politically correct" image of complying with COVID0-19 protocols. The problem is she comes across as looking rather silly. One can't tell if she's smiling, frowning, scowling, or what have you. That's the reason most politicians, the world over, while still following safety protocols, remove their masks when they're being photographed or videoed. It is so much easier for the public to connect to a full face than half a face. Even Robredo's engaging smile is wasted behind a mask.

The annoying thing is that even a neophyte running a campaign will immediately notice this glaring problem and correct it. The fact that so far nothing appears to be changing throws into question the competence of those individuals surrounding the candidate. Will Robredo also choose a similarly incompetent group to man her administration should she win the election? This is a serious question especially because she is not running for Baranggay Chairman, she's running for the highest office in the land.

The other pet peeve we have is Robredo's choice of campaign colors. Admittedly, her choice of colors are the "in" colors at this time. But they appear a bit out of place in a serious setting. Staid business outfits in subdued colors would go a long way in people taking her presidential aspirations more seriously. She can always highlight her attire with a ribbon or pin in her choice of colors.

Robredo appears to have a lot to offer the country, but she first needs to win an election. So far what she is doing is not "moving the needle." Robredo will have to up her game significantly if she hopes to best current frontrunner Marcos, or the rest of her all-male competitors. They all appear in the news more often than she does.

Will Robredo get this message and course-correct in time to successfully compete in 2022? We hope so. She can start by removing the face mask and showing that lovely smile for the cameras.

Published 12/4/2021