Vice President Leni Robredo. Photo from OVP
MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo was seen on Thursday repacking relief goods for Taal Volcano victims with “mocha” just right behind her.
But rather than Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Deputy Administrator Margaux “Mocha” Uson, what is behind Robredo was a box of mocha-flavored cookies that would be sent to evacuees in Batangas.
Robredo, who went live on her Facebook account after transforming her office into a repacking center, showed the Office of the Vice President (OVP) personnel working to segregate items like food, water, clothing, blankets, and other relief goods.
However, netizens were also quick to point out the boxes of “mocha” that were behind Robredo — something that people took as a pun or shade against Uson.
“Kumpleto (it’s complete),” a chuckling Robredo said, gesturing to the “mocha” label behind her.
Satire page Malacañang Events and Catering Services also shared a screenshot of Robredo’s live post.
“I see what you did there,” the page said.
Uson recently criticized Robredo for grandstanding, by sharing an unverified article claiming that the Vice President only provided meager relief goods to people in Batangas.
Robredo said that the reason why she and her team went to Batangas on Tuesday was not only to distribute relief goods but to also assess what evacuees really need.
“Andito po tayo ngayon nagre-repack ng goods, itong goods na nakikita niyo dito sa paligid lahat ito donated by private citizens, amin pong partners, ayan may mga nagdonate ng water, napakaraming cookies, may nagdonate ng mga matress, blankets, balde at tabo, toiletries,” she added.
“Napakabilis po ng response ng mga tao, nando’n ako sa Batangas no’ng Tuesday, tinignan natin ‘yong mga kailangan doon, pinost natin sa Facebook, in one day dumagsa dito ‘yong mga donations. So ngayon nagre-repack tayo for distribution tomorrow,” she explained.
(We are here repacking goods, which were donated by private citizens and our partners. They donated water, cookies, there are also mattresses, blankets, pails, and dippers, and toiletries.)
(The public’s response has been quick, we were in Batangas on Tuesday, we were looking at what they needed. We posted it on Facebook, and in one day, donations poured over. So we are repacking it today for distribution tomorrow.)
Earlier, Robredo answered Uson’s accusations, saying that it is an affront to taxpayers that the government allows “fake news purveyors” to get compensated.
“Ako lang, parang sobrang insulto sa taumbayan na tayo iyong nagpa-pasuweldo ng isang taong ginawang trabaho iyong pagpapakalat ng fake news,” she told reporters in an event held in Caloocan City.
(For me, it’s a grave insult to the people that we’re paying a person who is spreading fake news.)