“It’s not me who’s the victim here. It’s the people,” leading vice presidential candidate Camarines Sur Rep. Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo on Wednesday said of the “lies” being spread to discredit her possible win in a close race with political rival Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Robredo on Wednesday expressed alarm over her detractors going around to encourage people to rally behind Marcos and protest Robredo’s alleged election cheating through a people power revolution.
It may be recalled that the dictatorship regime led by Marcos’ father and namesake ended in 1986 after the first Edsa people power revolution.
Asking the Marcos camp not to abuse their right to air grievances, Robredo said it’s not her but the public who are becoming the victims as they are being misled by Marcos supporters to believe in the black propaganda and misinformation against the Liberal Party candidate.
In an ambush interview after the mass for a smooth canvassing of votes at Microtel Ayala Technohub in Quezon City, Robredo said she is more worried about the lies being floated by the rival camp than the result of the counting of votes in the Congress.
“Nakakalungkot na tinetake advantage ‘yung hindi pagka-alam ng ibang tao para lang paniwalaan ang kasinungalingan,” she said.
(It saddens me that some are taking advantage of the people’s lack of knowledge so they would believe in lies.)
Robredo said copies of videos and photos reached her camp showing Marcos supporters driving around areas where informal settlers live urging them to join a protest action against the Camarines Sur lawmaker.
Photos of the tarpaulins with messages “Leni Makonsensya ka! Magconcede ka na!” (Leni, listen to your conscience! Concede!) and “No to Computer Cheating!” hung above the vehicles are circulating on social media.
Leading VP candidate Leni Robredo during the thanksgiving mass in Ateneo Church of the Gesu. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / JILSON SECKLER TIU
“Ang akin lang, lahat naman tayo may karapatan ipahayag ang gusto natin. Basta sana yung totoo lang, kasi hindi naman ako nabibiktima, kundi ‘yung mga tao. Kaya sana mahinto na rin ito,” Robredo said.
(All of us have the freedom of expression but I hope we only air the truth because I’m not the victim here but the people. I hope the lies would stop.)
She said Marcos’ claims of discrepancies in the unofficial tally of votes, which favored Robredo, was an obvious attempt by the senator to delay the canvassing.
READ: Marcos speech bares weakness of fraud claim–Robredo lawyer
“Obvious naman ‘yung paghaharang na ginagawa. Pero naniniwala naman tayo na yung canvassers alam kung anong gagawin,” Robredo said.
(Their delaying tactics are obvious. But I believe that the canvassers know how to adress the issue.)
But Robredo said she remains confident that the truth will come out as the Congress canvasses votes at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
READ: Robredo victory now ‘unassailable,’ says Macalintal
Before heading to the House of Representatives, Robredo and her three daughters, legal team headed by Senator-elect Leila de Lima and election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, campaign staff and supporters gathered in a Mass to pray for Robredo’s votes to be protected as the Congress conducts the canvassing. RAM