Pink Socks Pa More: Marcos Visits Leni's Turf in Naga, Says 'No Politics' But Wears Her Signature Color
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. showed up in Naga City on Saturday — the political home turf of Mayor Leni Robredo — and insisted there was absolutely nothing political about the visit. Except, well, for his pink socks. "The most political thing that we did today, I wore my pink socks in honor of Mayor Leni," the President said with a grin, referencing the signature color of Robredo's 2022 presidential campaign.
Marcos was in Naga to inspect ongoing operations under Oplan Kontra Baha, the national government's flood mitigation initiative. But the optics of the visit — a sitting president meeting his former rival in her own backyard — immediately set tongues wagging. Political analysts couldn't help but speculate: is Marcos building an alliance with Robredo?
The speculation has context. Vice President Sara Duterte recently announced she will run for president in 2028, and an early survey showed Robredo trailing Duterte by 16 points in the presidential race. A Marcos-Robredo alliance would be a dramatic political twist that could reshape the 2028 landscape entirely.
But both leaders played it cool. When asked if they discussed politics, Marcos said: "We are not talking about that. I think the mayor will agree with me that service must go first before politics." Robredo, for her part, has not made any declaration about her 2028 plans.
The meeting between the two is historically loaded. Robredo defeated Marcos in the 2016 vice presidential race, only for Marcos to defeat her in their presidential rematch in 2022. Now, four years later, they're standing side by side inspecting flood projects. Philippine politics talaga — never boring, always surprising.
Source: The Manila Times
