Robredo: Draw strength from each other
Vice President Leni Robredo urged Filipinos Thursday to draw strength from each other this Christmas season as they continue to face unimaginable challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In her Christmas message, Robredo emphasized the need for “bayanihan” (community spirit), hope, and love.
“Dalangin ko ngayong Pasko na patuloy tayong magbukas-palad, at ilapit ang diwa ng panahong ito sa puso at tahanan ng bawat pamilyang Pilipino (My hope for this Christmas is that we continue to open our arms and to welcome the spirit of this season in our hearts and the home of every Filipino family),” she said.
“Palakasin ang ugnayan sa mga magkakamag-anak, magkakaibigan, mga kasapi ng ating komunidad, hanggang masaklaw ang buong Pilipinas at sangkatauhan (May we strengthen the relationship among families, friends, community members until it encompasses the whole country and Filipino people),” she added.
Robredo urged Filipinos to look back to both good and bad memories this year as these are the moments that bind the people.
“Binago man ng pandemya ang paraan natin ng pagdiriwang, hindi maaaring mabawasan ang kabuluhan ng araw na ito, dahil walang pandemya o sakunang kayang umampat sa pagdaloy ng pag-ibig ng Maykapal. Walang dilim na kayang magligaw sa atin, dahil tayo mismo ang liwanag ng bawat isa. (The pandemic might have changed the way we celebrate Christmas, but it can never diminish the significance of this day because no pandemic or tragedy can stop God’s love. No darkness can misguide us because we bring light to each other)”
Robredo acknowledged that this Christmas is like no other as there will be no Christmas parties or caroling, no big gatherings, and families cannot celebrate with each other.
Despite the changes in these Christmas traditions, she said Filipinos draw strength from these things. “We can be sure of each other’s goodness; we are one family who faces and rises to the challenge of the times; and, we are all recipients of God’s unending love.
The Vice President reflected that the way Filipinos responded to the pandemic and the recent catastrophes brought about by typhoons is a manifestation of this love.
“This is what we are celebrating today: the truth that in the name of love, He chose to live among us. He chose to unite with us and be one with us,” Robredo said.
Jillian’s gift to mom
Meanwhile, Robredo received an iPhone casing as an early Christmas gift from her youngest daughter Jillian.
Jillian shared a photo of her mother who held up her iPhone with the new casing. It has Jillian’s face and that of her two other siblings Aika and Tricia, now a doctor, when they were small children.
The Vice President was seen in the photo giving a thumbs up with a hearty smile.
“Happy Christmas eve,” Jillian said in an Instagram post.
Robredo has three daughters Aika, the eldest; Tricia, and Jillian.
Aika and Tricia had something to say about the Christmas gift of their youngest sibling to their mother.
“Only Jillian can pull off giving something like this to mama for Christmas,” Aika wrote.
Tricia, on the other hand, made fun of Jillian in her post.