By Raymund Antonio
Vice President and opposition leader Leni Robredo on Sunday slammed Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos for lying that she graduated from two schools here and abroad.
(L-R) Vice President and opposition leader Leni Robredo and Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos (MANILA BULLETIN)
Robredo took a potshot at Marcos—although she did not directly name her—in her weekly radio show, “BISErbisyong Leni,” aired on RMN-dzXL 558.
The Vice President alluded to the eldest daughter of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos for not engaging in senatorial debate to address the issue.
“Pinakamahirap kasi ‘yung iba talaga nakakasinungaling ng dire-diretso…‘Yung ano na lang pag-aaral sa U.P and Princeton, ‘di ba may kasinungalingan pa,” she said.
(What’s worse is the others can really continuously lie…Just like about her studies in UP and Princeton, there were lies, right?)
Marcos claimed she graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law and earned a master’s degree in religion and politics from Princeton University in the United States.
But both universities have debunked Marcos’ claims about her educational credentials. Although she attended UP Law School and Princeton, no records showed that Marcos was awarded any degrees from these two schools.
The Vice President zeroed in on Marcos and other administration-backed senatorial candidates from Hugpong ng Pagbabago party for not joining televised debates.
In her radio show, Robredo said the HNP candidates should let the people know where they stand on policies and issues through a public debate.
“Yung mga kandidato natin pumupunta, ‘yung iba kandidato pumupunta pero sila, lalo na ‘yung okay sa (pre-election) survey, hindi na sila pumupunta. So paano malalaman ng mga tao ‘yung mga issue na either laban sa kanila or mga paniniwala nilang tinatayuan, pakiramdam nila sa mga issue,” she said.
(Our candidates and the others join, but they don’t come, especially those who are okay in the survey. So how would the people know the issues against them or their beliefs where they stand, what they feel about issues.)
“Dapat sana ‘yung debate, para harapan na tatanungin. Hindi pumupunta kaya hinahamon ng mga kandidato natin,” Robredo added.
(The candidates should join the debate, so they will be asked directly. They don’t attend that’s why our candidates challenge them.)
Otso Diretso senatorial bet and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, who was guest at Robredo’s radio show, shunned television and the tarpaulin wars in the campaign for the Senate.
“Hindi tatayo gagawa ng tarp sa Senado; hindi rin tayo gagawa ng advertisement. Hindi rin comedy bar ang Senado.
Hindi naman ‘yan karaoke bar kaya kailangan malalaman ng taong bayan kung may kakahayan sila,” said Diokno.
(We won’t make tarp in Senate; we won’t also make advertisement. The Senate is not a comedy bar. It’s not a karaoke bar that’s why the people needs to know if they have capabilities.)