President 'happy' row with Robredo is over

(UPDATES) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said he was "happy" with what he described as his "political reconciliation" with former vice president Leni Robredo. In his speech during the signing of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Act in Malacañang, Marcos thanked Senate President Francis Escudero for setting up his short meeting with Robredo in Sorsogon on Thursday. Escudero had invited Robredo to welcome Marcos at the inauguration of the Sorsogon Sports Arena. The Bicol Region is the bailiwick of Robredo, who is running for mayor in Naga City, Camarines Sur, in next year's elections. On the sidelines of the event, Marcos and Robredo shook hands and smiled at each other. He also shook hands with former senator Paulo Benigno Aquino IV, one of the leaders of the opposition party. Robredo could not attend Thursday's Sorsogon program as she had prior commitments in Naga. Escudero described the short meeting between Marcos and Robredo, presidential rivals in 2022, as "symbolic" and a gesture that most politicians could learn from. Marcos and Robredo also ran against each other in the 2016 vice presidential race. "They just exchanged pleasantries. I think this is the first step toward healing whatever wound or misunderstanding they have," Escudero told reporters. It was the first time Marcos and Robredo were seen in public together since the last presidential elections. Marcos lost to Robredo in 2016 but overwhelmingly won the 2022 elections against her.