When is a relief operation not a political campaign?

Leni Robredo and Mar Roxas distribute relief goods at San Josef National Highschool in Cabanatuan City. Grig Montegrande/INQUIRER

IT’S NOT campaigning when there are no speeches and streamers, no yellow shirts and no mention of the word “vote.”

Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate Mar Roxas on Wednesday defended himself and his running mate, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, from criticisms about their visits to places heavily hit by Typhoon “Lando” (international name: Koppu).

“You yourselves are witnesses: [We made] no speeches, it was all direct distribution [of relief goods]; there was nothing yellow, no campaign, no mention of ‘vote’ and no pictures,” Roxas told reporters in Infanta town in Pangasinan province on Wednesday.

“So what we came here for, really, is to bring relief goods,” he said in reply to a question on whether his and Robredo’s visits could be considered a campaign sortie.

With staff and supporters, the two helped organize the distribution of relief goods they had packed the day before at the LP’s Balay headquarters in Quezon City.

READ: Roxas, Robredo lead distribution of relief goods in Nueva Ecija town | Roxas, Robredo halt campaign, help ‘Lando’ victims

Also on Wednesday, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman took exception to the remarks of a spokesperson of Vice President Jejomar Binay that she was busy campaigning for LP candidates instead of leading the relief and recovery efforts in Lando-devastated areas.

“It is sad that a calamity like this is being used as an opportunity to hit the government to advance their own interests,” she said in reaction to the statement of Rico Quicho, who accused her of campaigning for Roxas and Robredo in Koronadal, South Cotabato province, on Saturday, a day before Lando struck.

Soliman said food packs for affected communities had already been prepared by the time she attended an event on Saturday with Roxas and Robredo to “celebrate the struggles and successes” of the government’s cash transfer program.

“The event, which had been planned long ago, was organized by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office as its participation in the United Nations’ commemoration of the International Day of Eradicating Extreme Poverty,” she said.

Soliman said Roxas and Robredo were invited as resource persons. She said Roxas talked about sustainable livelihood and shared his experiences as a former trade secretary, while Robredo discussed food security, one of her advocacies.

In Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija province, on Tuesday, Roxas said he and Robredo visited the areas hit by the storm to assist the displaced.

“This is not about us. This is not about the campaign. This is about helping out and responding to Lando victims in dire need of help. As you can see, there have been no speeches, no campaign songs, no signature vests, no banners,” he said.

Responding to his critics, Roxas said: “You know, I don’t worry about what they are going to say. The other side is always going to say whatever it is they are going to say, none of which will be complimentary.”

“So why should I bother about anything they say. It’s clear to me that we came here to bring help,” he said.

Speaking to reporters in Infanta, Robredo said it was important for officials to personally come to victims in devastated areas to “bring the message that they have not been forgotten.”

“What we have given them is only temporary (relief), something to tide them over in the meantime. But what’s important is they saw we were there in their (time of) greatest need,” she said.

“But we will not stop here. We will make sure we will take care of those who need help, especially those who lost their crops,” Robredo said.