The vice president answers her critics not with a hateful rebuttal but with a calm post that promotes local products.

In life, there will always be haters and bashers, especially if you’re a public figure. No matter how you look at it, the Internet has become a place of hostility, cancel culture, and hate. Being bombarded by negativity, however, is not an excuse for one to be rude to others or to spread hate as well.

Two days ago, Vice President Leni Robredo released a video of her speaking to the public to address the problems of our country amid the Covid-19 pandemic. While her recommendations on reviving our recession-hit economy was inspiring and commendable, there were people who still criticized her, particularly the way she looked in the video.

If one recalls, VP Leni once said in an interview that she would never respond or defend herself against trolls. “Hindi siya nakakapikon. Funny… Hindi ko naman pinapatulan. Binabasa ko pero never akong pumatol. Never akong sumagot. Never ako nagdepensa sa sarili (I don't get piqued. Funny... I do not reply. I read but I never answer or defend myself),” she previously told CNN when asked how to deal with critics.

Today, Aug. 26, the Filipina lawyer and social activist finally replied to a criticism.

“May mga pumuna ng hitsura natin sa public address nung Monday. Nakakalungkot man na yun yung pinansin at hindi yung laman ng sinabi, gusto kong patulan kasi opportunity to advocate for #supportlocal (There are people nitpicking on the way I looked in the public address on Monday. It saddens me that they noticed my appearance more than what I had to say. I want to take this opportunity to #supportlocal),” wrote VP Leni on her social media account.

The blue blouse and brooch that VP Leni wore were from the homegrown brand Bayo. She revealed that she and her family had long patronized the brand way before her career in politics.

“Pero lalo akong humanga sa kanila nung naka partner namin sila sa pagtahi ng PPEs dahil dun po namin sila nakilala ng lubos. Napakabait na employers at mapagkalinga sa kanilang mga mananahi. (I was even more impressed by the brand when we got to partner with them in making PPEs, because that’s when we got to know them better. They are kind employers, and they really take care of their employees),” she muses.

VP Leni added that she had tied her hair and worn eyeglasses as standard safety precautions in the health crisis. “Yung pagtali ng buhok at pagsuot ng salamin, mula nung nag umpisa ang pandemic, nakatali na ang buhok ko. Mahaba na kasi saka mas madali mag face mask pag nakatali ang buhok. Yung salamin, dati naman po akong nagsasalamin. Matagal na. Hindi ko lang tinatanggal ngayon kasi bahagi siya ng proteksiyon laban sa virus (I have been tying my hair and wearing eyeglasses since the start of the pandemic. As you may have noticed, my hair is now long, plus it’s easier to wear a face mask when the hair is tied. I've been wearing glasses ever since. I just don’t take them off these days as part of protecting myself from the virus),” she explains.

“Nakakatawa man ang post na to, pagkakataon pa din kumampanya for us to support local. (This post may seem funny, but this is my chance to campaign for us to support local),” the vice president concluded.