Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo and local officials visit Malacanang as one of the mayors who attended the ceremonial turnover of the P8.645 billion Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assistance Program funds for 306 disaster affected local government units.

It is one of the few times Robredo visited the Palace after losing the 2022 presidential campaign to Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Robredo's visit came after a recent hypothetical 2028 presidential matchup survey shows that the lead of Vice President Sara Duterte over her narrowed to seven percentage points.

Robredo had said earlier this year that she has no plans to run for the presidency in 2028, preferring to concentrate on Naga City. In the Palace ceremony, Robredo refused to answer political questions from reporters.

The ceremonial turnover was led by Marcos who reminded the local government that the assistance must be used solely to rebuild communities and restore the affected livelihood and not for any forms of corruption.

Palace spokesperson Undersecretary Claire Castro said aside from Robredo also attended the ceremony were Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong, Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro and Laguna Gov. Sol Aragones.

A recent OCTA Research survey showed that the "Duterte’s numbers show a softening across the three 2026 waves, with her share easing from 46 percent in Q1 to 43 percent in Q2 and 40 percent in Q3, a cumulative six-point decline that exceeds the ±3 percent margin of error."

"As a result, the gap between VP Duterte and Mayor Leni Robredo has narrowed in each wave, from 11 points to 9 and now 7," it stated.

It noted that the survey that was conducted from September 28 to October 4, 2026, through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adult respondents aged 18 and above should be interpreted as a snapshot of current public sentiment and not as a prediction of electoral outcomes. Robina Asido/PHS