Over 412,000 friends and supporters celebrated Vice President Leni Robredo’s birthday with a street party for the presidential aspirant at Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City on Saturday, April 23. The star-studded event featured celebrities such as Vice Ganda, Gary Valenciano, and APO Hiking Society, her running mate Kiko Pangilinan, and her complete senatorial slate. (VP Leni Media Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — As a birthday gift on her 57th birthday, Vice President Leni Robredo wants her supporters to continue “opening their hearts” and to continue to be patient in dealing with the supporters of her rivals, especially with election day just days away.
“Ang hinihiling ko po sa inyong lahat, buksan ang ating mga puso, habaan ang ating pasensya dahil ang eleksyon pong ito, hindi lang po ito simple na away naming mga kandidato. Ang eleksyon pong ito mas malaki pa kaysa sa aming lahat. Dahil ang eleksyon pong ito, pagdedesisyonan natin kung ano ‘yung magiging kinabukasan nating lahat, at ano ang mangyayari sa bansa natin,” she told her supporters who attended the “People’s Rally” in Pasay City to celebrate her birthday on Saturday.
(What I’m asking from all of you is to open our hearts, stretch our patience because this election is not a simple quarrel between us candidates. This election is bigger than all of us, because this is where we decide what our future would be, and what will happen to our country.)
“Kaya po ang pakiusap ko sa inyo, 14 days na lang ang natitira para tayo magkampanya […] dahil laban po natin ito para sa ating mga kababayan, kailangan buksan natin ‘yung ating mga puso. Huwag po tayong mapanghusga. Respetuhin po natin ‘yung ibang iba naman ‘yung paniniwala,” she stressed.
(That’s why my request to you: we have 14 days to go with our campaign. Because this is a fight for our countrymen. We need to open our hearts. Let us not be judging. We must respect the beliefs of others.)
Robredo also dismissed fake news about her, particularly her being linked to the communist New People’s Army (NPA) or that she is being advised by exiled communist leader Jose Maria Sison.
“Alam ko na maraming mga fake news lalo pa po pag tumataas nang konti ‘yung ating numero mas lalong dumadami ang fake news. ‘Yung pinaka huli, NPA daw ako. Naniniwala ba kayo doon? Pangalawa, nabasa ko lang kaninang umaga, advisor ko daw ‘yung isang hindi ko na po papangalanan dahil wala naman tayong authority-ng magsabi kasi hindi totoo,” Robredo said.
(I know that there are many fake news spreading about me especially if there is a slight increase in my survey rating. The most recent is that I am a member of the NPA. Do you believe that? Second, I read this morning that I am supposedly being advised by someone who I will not name because we do not have the authority to speak about things that are not true.)
“Pero huwag din tayong mapagod sa paglaban sa fake news […] Alam niyo po, noong nakaraang six years, napakaraming fake news sinasabi sa akin, pero hindi ko masyadong pinapansin kasi sabi ko istorbo lang. Pero mali pala ako. Kailangan pag fake news, sinasabi kaagad natin na kasinungalingan ‘yan at ‘yung kasinungalingan palitan natin ng katotohanan,” she added.
(But let us not get tired of fighting fake news. You know, in the last six years, a lot of fake information has been said about me. I did not mind because I thought it was just a distraction. But I was wrong. We must immediately dismiss these fake news as lies. We must replace lies with the truth.)
READ: NTF-Elcac insists Robredo-CPP collusion despite VP’s stand vs violence
READ: Robredo debunks ties with CPP founder, eyes legal action vs purveyors of fake news
While Robredo’s call to supporters to continue opening their hearts and respecting the opinion of others is not new, the Vice President’s tone on her birthday came with a sense of urgency. The latest Pulse Asia voter preference survey show Robredo placing second to frontrunner former senator Bongbong Marcos.
Even if Marcos lost 4 percentage points during the March 17-21 survey period — and even if Robredo gained 9 percentage points during the same period — Marcos still has 56 percent of the respondents’ votes compared to Robredo’s 24 percent.
READ: Marcos still leads new Pulse Asia survey, but Robredo’s number rises by 9 points
Supporters of Robredo meanwhile point to Google Trends data, which showed who among the top five presidential candidates have garnered the most searches. Robredo has been the most-searched entry online for months now.
READ: Google Trends: Leni, Sara are most searched bets
READ: Robredo supporters insist Google Trends indicate victory despite lagging in surveys
Robredo’s Pasay City rally which featured celebrity endorsers, was attended by 412,000 supporters, according to the event’s organizers. Organizers said Robredo’s supporters fully occupied the stretch of Macapagal Avenue from Jose W. Diokno Boulevard to Edsa.