Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo responded to the tirades of President Rodrigo Duterte in his weekly public address stating that the latter was fed with fake news and misinformation resulting to false accusations.
VP Leni Robredo called the people surrounding President Duterte as “fake news peddlers” and debunked the claim that she boarded a C130 plane on the way to Catanduanes to deliver relief goods.
“Kami ang dami naming ginagawa sa opisina na hindi naman ako sa kanila humuhingi ng tulong. So iyon sa akin, ang mga pasunod-sunod na nangyayayri, nagpapakita na yung peddlers of fake news nasa paligid mismo ni presidente at tingin ko malaking kasalanan iyon para kay Presidente for him to react that way. Nagre-react siya sa maling information. Kaya sa akin ang pakiusap ko lang ang dami ng peddlers of fake news sa atin, huwag na nila dagdagan. (We are doing so much in our office and I never asked them for help. So for me, from the succeeding events, it shows that peddlers of fake news are surrounding the President and I think it is a big sin for him to react that way. He is reacting to false information. So I only ask that they should not add to the countless peddlers of fake news.)”
She also denied starting the Twitter trend #NasaanangPangulo.
“Pero para sabihin mo na nagsabi akong ‘Nasaan Ang Pangulo?’ Hindi iyon totoo kasi never ko ‘yung sinabi… Sa akin, kung sino ‘yung nagfi-feed sa Presidente ng false information, iyon ang dapat hanapin (For you to say that I asked ‘Where is the President?’…That is not true because I never said that. For me, whoever fed the President false information should be traced).”
VP Robredo clarified that she was passing the distress calls to anyone they can contact on the ground. She asserted that “buhay ng ating mga kababayan ang nakataya (The lives of our citizens are at stake). There is no space for our ego when lives are at stake.”
“Whenever we get updates from the ground, we share them with the public. It is important to assure those who are distressed that (1) we heard you; (2) help is coming; (3) we are doing all we can to save you,” she added.
While she admitted that it is the President’s right to say whatever he wants, Robredo called the Chief Executive’s remarks on her running for President as “very unpresidential.” – Report from Eunice Samonte
