Leni Robredo

Designation: Vice President

Country: Philippines

Age: 56

Maria Leonor “Leni” Gerona Robredo (23 April 1965) is a Filipina politician, lawyer, and social activist who is the 14th vice president of the Philippines. She is the wife of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo.

Robredo was born in Naga, Camarines Sur, Philippines. She went to the basic education department of Universidad de Sta. Isabel in Naga and graduated from elementary school in 1978 and high school in 1982. She earned her degree in economics from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1986 and further pursued law at the University of Nueva Caceres, graduating in 1992.

Having passed the bar in 1996, Robredo served in the Public Attorney’s Office and took up the defense for cases pursued by her husband. From 1998 to 2008, she became the coordinator of Sentro Alternatibong Lingap Panligan (SALIGAN), a Naga-based alternative legal support group. This group aimed to encourage young legal professionals to take on leadership roles and conduct legal advocacy by proposing amendments and new laws based on the needs of communities.

In 1989, Robredo founded the Lakas Kababaihan Naga Federation, which provides training and livelihood opportunities for women. In 2012, she was named the chairperson of the Liberal Party in Camarines Sur.

In 2016, Robredo was featured in an episode of ABS-CBN’s drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya. The Thai government also awarded her the Honorary Outstanding Woman Award of the Year 2016. She was given the Most Influential Filipina Woman of the World award by the Filipina Women’s Network (FWN).