Philippines’ Vice President Robredo to run for president in 2022

Manila - The 56-year-old is a human rights lawyer and leads the opposition.

Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo said on Thursday she will run for the presidency in a 2022 election.

Robredo, 56, a human rights lawyer and widow of a former interior minister, leads the opposition and has been critical of incumbent Rodrigo Duterte and his bloody war on drugs.

"I pledge to give all my strength not just in this election but in my remaining days (as vice president) to fight for the Philippines," Robredo said in a 15-minute speech streamed live on social media, adding that she was ready to embark on a bigger fight.

Vice presidents are elected separately from presidents in the Philippines and Robredo has been at loggerheads with Duterte on a range of issues.

Duterte can not run for president in May due to rules on term limits. He had said he would run for vice president but announced on Saturday he would retire from politics.

After criticising what she called "senseless killings" in his war on drugs, Duterte appointed her "drugs tsar", but sacked her after 18 days.