'Pink revolution' a symbol of bigger battle for Robredo-Pangilinan tandem

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 8) — With the color yellow glaringly absent during the filing of candidacies of opposition aspirants, Vice President Leni Robredo explained how pink came to be her new symbol for the 2022 elections.

The presidential hopeful said yellow was the color of protest during the ouster of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, but she said bigger challenges await her tandem with Senator Kiko Pangilinan since she is going up against Marcos' son Bongbong and inheriting the problems that will be left by the current administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

"Iyong nilalabanan natin ngayon, mas malaki na kaysa sa laban pa dati. Ang nilalabanan natin ngayon hindi lang iyong pagbabalik ng anak ng diktador, pero ang nilalabanan natin ngayon, masamang pamamahala na siya iyong nagiging sanhi ng mga problemang pinagdadaanan natin ngayon," she said in a media briefing.

[Translating: We are fighting a bigger enemy. We are not just fighting the son of the dictator, we are also battling the poor governance that is the cause of the problems we are facing now.]

Yellow is also the color of liberal democratic Liberal Party, which both Robredo and Pangilinan are officials of. However, Robredo, is running as an independent to show inclusivity.

"Sa akin kasi hindi naman kulay iyong nagde-define sa tao, eh… May kasabihan, ‘di ba, we are defined by the choices we make," she said.

[Translation: For me, color does not define a person. There's a saying that we are defined by the choices we make.]

She added that the use of pink, which has become a symbol of protest worldwide just like yellow before that, came from their supporters. She said they were surprised and overwhelmed how quickly it caught on, calling it the "pink revolution."

Netizens were tickled pink with pink-hued profile photos and cover photos in social media even hours before she announced her presidential bid on Thursday.