Vice President Leni Robredo
INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
Vice President Leni Robredo sees rumors about her as being part of an alleged conspiracy to oust President Duterte as just among the many vicious issues being perpetrated on social media that she just want to ignore.
“Mayroon kaming mandatong kailangan gampanan – na kung magpapadala kami sa kasamaan na nangyayari online, paaano namin magagampanan ang aming mandato?” Robredo said in an interview with reporters in Boac Marinduque on Monday.
(We have a mandate that must be done – that is if we allow ourselves to be affected by the callousness that’s happening online, how can we fulfill our mandate?)
The Vice President is being accused of plotting the ouster of Duterte with the backing of Filipino-American critics including billionaire philanthropist Loida Nicolas-Lewis. Some bloggers on social media showed screenshots of alleged correspondence between the anti-Duterte group and the social media unit of Robredo.
The Vice President vehemently denied being part of any plot to oust Duterte.
“As much as I can, iyong focus ko nasa trabaho kaya kahit ganoon ang tira sa akin – kaliwa’t kanan – pinagbubuhusan ko talaga ng panahon ang trabaho ko,” Robredo said.
(As much as I can, my focus is on my work, so despite these attacks I really devote my time doing my work.)
Dubbed “#LeniLeaks” by Robredo’s online bashers, the viral posts showed leaked emails dated Dec. 4, 2016 in which Lewis supposedly told Global Filipino Diaspora Council (GFDC) members, including her supporter Lewis, that the only way to thwart an “evil plot” to unseat Robredo is to call for Duterte’s resignation.
Another post also showed an email from the Office of the Vice President’s social media team urging its trolls to launch a counteroffensive against Duterte; social media personalities who were Robredo’s rabid critics; and defeated vice presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos and son Sandro.
Robredo questioned the authenticity of the alleged emails, saying if it were indeed a confidential correspondence, it wouldn’t be discussed in a public email group.
“Na-memention yata iyong pangalan ko, na hindi naman surprising, kasi ako ang pangalawang pangulo. Mayroon tayong mga supporters na karamihan nag-rereact din sa ginagawang pambibiktima sa atin,” she said.
(I think my name has been mentioned, which was not surprising, because I’m the Vice President. We have supporters who many of them are reacting to moves to target us.)
“Tayo ang nasa receiving end ng napakaraming fake na news, napakaraming hindi tama na mga kuwento. Ito yata ang reaksyon doon,” she said.
(We are at the receiving end of these fake news; many stories were replete with inaccuracies…)
Robredo also answered Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre’s comment on the issue criticizing Lewis, who he said was just making noise about the alleged Duterte ouster plot.
Aguirre also said he believes that both Robredo and Senator Leila De Lima, Duterte’s staunchest critic, stayed at Lewis’ home during their visit in the United States last year.
Robredo denied this, adding that Aguirre as Justice Secretary should not believe the lies being spread on social media.
“Naku, nakakalungkot naman po. Kung totoo po na sinabi iyan ng ating DOJ Secretary, pati ba naman siya kabahagi na ng pagsisinungaling?” she said.
(This is deplorable. If our DOJ Secretary really said such, he, too, is among those spreading lies?)
“Secretary po siya ng DOJ, sana po hindi siya nagsasabi ng mga kasinungalingan. Kasi iyon po talaga, kasinungalingan. Hindi ko po nakausap, hindi ko nakita man lang pagpunta ko ng America,” Robredo added.
(He’s the DOJ Secretary, I hope he’s not telling lies…)
Robredo also said that the last time she spoke with Lewis was several days before the campaign period for the May elections started in 2015.
But she confirmed that Lewis has been her supporter since her campaign because they were both from Bicol region.
“Pero after the elections, noong ako po ay nanalo na, hindi ko po maalala kung nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na nag-meet kami. Sinasabi pong nag-meet daw kami sa America, hindi po iyon totoo,” Robredo said.
(But after the elections, when I won, I can’t remember if we had a meeting.)
“Ni personal meeting, ni tawag sa telepono hindi po kami nagtawagan o nag-meet sa America. Kaya yung kumakalat na balita hindi po iyon totoo,” she added.
(We had neither a personal meeting in America nor a telephone chat. So those reports are not true.) /ac