MANILA—President aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday let her hair down and gamely answered fun and light questions during a talk with professionals from the information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing (BPO) industries.

In a virtual town hall meeting attended by members of the Information Technology and BPO Professionals for Leni (ITBPO4L) and BPO Employees for Leni (BPOE4L), volunteers for the said sectors, Robredo appeared relaxed and jovial as she responded to the queries that showed her personal side.

The questions were:

Favorite month of the year?

Robredo: December, kasi everyone in the family is home. It is time for reunions and malamig ang panahon.

Favorite boy band?

Naku. (laughs) Foreign, BTS kasi gaya-gaya ako sa anak ko. Local, andami . . . Ayoko nang mag-name ng isa kasi marami sila, sobrang husay ng ating mga banda.

What is your go-to comfort food?

Ang pinaka-favorite ko talagang cuisine ay Bicolano. Gusto ko ’yung may gata at tsaka gusto ko ng spicy.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Hindi, kasi para sa akin ang pagmamahal ay di sa itsura. Ang tunay na pagmamahal ay nade-develop through time.

What is the first thing you do when you wake up?

Depende . . . Nu’ng pandemic nakakapagsimba pa ako kasi online mass na pero ngayong kandidato ako, laging rushed na . . . Late matutulog, maagang gigising . . . So ang pinaka-una kong ginagawa, nagka-kape sa umaga. Tapos labas na ng bahay. 'Yung lahat sinisingit nalang, nag-aaral.

Who was your crush when you were younger?

Piolo Pascual, John Lloyd Cruz.

What did you want to become when you were 7 years old?

Abogado na talaga.

What energizes you?

Ako, kasi grabe ang migraine ko. ’Pag nasa opisina lang ako, sigurado ’yan mina-migraine lang ako. Pero, halimbawa, papunta sa isang lugar, masakit ulo ko sa sasakyan, ’pag meron nang tao, nawawala na 'yun. Ang nag e-energize sa akin is going to the communities . . . Sobrang happy ako na napupuntahan mga communities. Hindi program ha, ayoko ng events. Alam ito ng staff ko. Ang gusto ko pupunta kami sa mga communities, makikipagkwentuhan lang. ’Yun ang pinaka-favorite kong gawin.

What is the P100 purchase that still excites you?

Ziploc bags. Mahilig akong mag-organize. 'Pag nago-grocery ako, lagi akong bumibili ng Ziploc.

Items in your "add to cart"?

(laughs) Marami . . . First, 3-bath mat, panlagay sa banyo. 'Yung isa ay McCormick rosemary leaves na pangluto. 'Yung pangatlo ay drying rack, 'yung sinasabitan ng panlaba.

What were wrong assumptions about you?

Sobrang dami . . . ’Yung pinakasinasabi nila, lutang ako, bobo ako. 'Yung sinasabi nila na I have three daughters and all of them are girls, tapos yung 4 times 40 is equal to 1,600.

The vice president also revealed that she is a “late bloomer” when it comes to having a skincare routine, saying she started only having one when she became a congresswoman.

“Moisturizer, sunblock. Medyo tamad ako na kung ano-ano ang ginagawa sa mukha so madali lang ang skin care,” she said.

Towards the end of the town hall meeting, Robredo was also asked how she could improve the work-from-home scheme that has prevailed when the pandemic hit.

“Ako sinu-support ko ang work- from home and hybrid . . . Ano’ng klaseng arrangement ang mag-i-improve ng quality of life nating lahat with the least cost to workers and the most benefit not just for himself and family. Baka itong model na ito will pave way for the decentralization in many parts of the country,” she said.

Telcos should be given incentives to encourage them to invest in far-flung areas, she added.

“Bakit ba mabagal ang fast internet service sa mga kanayunan? Walang incentives sa mga telcos . . . ’Pag naglagay sila ng sariling tower, pero konti ang subscribers so lugi sila. So ang gobyerno should be on top of this,” Robredo said.

“With the right infrastructure, pwede talagang ma-decentralize ang BPO industry. Kung nakatira tayo sa malayong lugar, di na natin kailangan para mag- relocate. Mas maraming opportunities,” she added.

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