Atty. Barry Gutierrez. (FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez on Monday condemned the circulation of alleged pornographic videos targeting the presidential aspirant’s eldest daughter, calling it a “malicious fabrication” and a “direct and vile response to the momentum we continue to gain.”
Senatorial aspirant and lawyer Chel Diokno also came to the defense of the Robredo girls, saying it “takes a special kind of evil to resort to misogynistic attacks” against them.
On Monday, links to videos supposedly of Aika Robredo, 34, suddenly appeared on the internet a few days after reports of a possible demolition job against the Robredo daughters to undo the vice president’s gains in the recent Pulse Asia survey.
Gutierrez made it clear that the videos were a crime, a “malicious fabrication,” and that they have asked the platforms to take them down.
Volunteer lawyer groups for Robredo are now studying their options for legal action.
“Our supporters should see this for what it is: A distraction. This is a direct and vile response to the momentum we continue to gain. It won’t yield votes for those who are spreading it,” he said.
He warned that their detractors’ goal is to distract them so they would lose focus. “The only clear way is to hold the line for radical love: be firm but kind in correcting disinformation no matter how vile it is.”
Echoing his statement, Diokno called on Google to take down the links and to “proactively prevent any more links containing the same abhorrent misogynistic attacks to be published.”
“Google should not allow itself to be used for crimes against women,” he said.
Robredo herself has yet to directly address the issue. But she had posted a tweet calling on her supporters “not to lose focus.”
“Best antidote to fake news is the truth,” she said. “Continue doing good things. This was how I survived the last six years.”