Vice President Leni Robredo in Silang, Cavite, on Friday, May 4, 2022. Image from VP Leni Robredo / Facebook
DASMARIÑAS, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo is rejecting the notion that she is using the Catholic Church for her presidential campaign.
Robredo said in an ambush interview after meeting volunteers in this Cavite town Friday that such an idea is an insult to the Church, stressing that the institution which has been in the country long before the Philippines became a republic would not allow itself to be used for partisan activities.
Members of the media asked her about criticisms on her decision to drop by churches every time she visits a town or province for her campaign sortie.
In response, the Vice President said: “Masyado naman yata ‘yung insulto sa simbahan. Tingin ko, ang simbahan hindi naman magpapagamit. ‘Yung simbahan mas matatag na institusyon ito kaysa sa aming mga politiko. Hindi sila magpapagamit dahil lang sa inclination nila sa isang politiko.”
For Robredo, the Church knows what is at stake in the upcoming elections so it chose to get involved in the campaign — without actually being partisan for a particular candidate.
“Ako, ‘yung assessment ko, kaya ‘yung simbahan ngayon mas active din, kasi alam nila what is at stake,” she said.
“Hindi na lang ito pagkampi sa politiko pero ‘yung moralidad natin bilang isang bansa, nakataya dito. Kaya, ang paniniwala ko kaya tumataya sila ngayon dahil doon,” she added.
The Vice President then explained that the reason why she has been visiting churches was only to ask the Church’s help in fighting disinformation.
Robredo earlier said that the Church can be tapped to fight fake news, disinformation, or misinformation because it has the machinery as the priests are community leaders that people would consider as beacons of truth.
“Yung pagpunta natin sa simbahan very defined ‘yung dahilan. At ‘yung pinakadahilan talaga kung bakit kailangan natin hingiin ang tulong ng simbahan, gusto natin silang gumalaw dito sa fight natin against disinformation,” she said.
READ: Robredo: Disinformation, fake news still biggest challenge to presidential bid
“Ang paniniwala ko, hindi na ito kung sino ‘yung kandidato mo sa eleksyon pero para sa akin, fight ito nating lahat na sisiguraduhin natin na ‘yung election na ito, hindi siya dedesisyunan na base sa false information. And we need all the help we can get, ‘yung simbahan meron syang makinarya on the ground,” she added.
The Vice President admitted that she is facing an uphill battle with a little over two months left before the May 9 polls, saying that disinformation is still her biggest problem aside from the COVID-19 protocols which make it hard for her to campaign, given that she prefers face-to-face engagements.
A recent study said that Robredo is the biggest victim of disinformation campaigns, while her opponent former senator Bongbong Marcos was the top gainer from misleading posts.
READ: Robredo is biggest disinformation victim; Marcos gains from ‘misleading’ posts — fact-checker
This is not the first time Robredo said that beating disinformation is crucial to her success in the upcoming elections: she said it last January, during a visit to Zamboanga del Sur and then a day before she kicked off her formal presidential campaign, she repeated her statements, saying that it is the biggest challenge for her presidential bid.
READ: Robredo pins May 9 victory on surmounting fake news