The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday, October 3, told House Deputy Speaker and vice presidential candidate Lito Atienza to check social media platform Facebook and the local news to see what the vice president has done since she took office in 2016.
“Klarong-klaro lahat ng proyekto, lahat ng mga natulungan, lahat ng mga kilos na ginawa ni VP Leni at ng kanyang opisina mula 2016. Tapos lalo na itong nakaraang 18 months mula noong nagkaroon tayo ng problema sa COVID-19 (It is very clear all the projects, all the help, all the actions that VP Leni and her office have done since 2016. Especially these past 18 months since we had a problem with COVID-19),” lawyer Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesman, said over dzXL.
“Klarong nakasaad lahat ‘yun sa Facebook page pero maski kahit hindi sa Facebook page magbasa ka lang ng mga lumalabas na news articles (Those are clearly stated in the Facebook page but even if it’s not on the Facebook page, you just read all the news articles that come out),” he added.
Gutierrez addressed this statement to Atienza, who recently filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) as Senator Manny Pacquiao’s running mate in the 2022 polls.
READ: Atienza files COC for vice president as Pacquiao’s running mate
He questioned why Robredo wants to run as president and asked her to show what she has done first.
This comment sparked a debate on social media site Twitter where many of Robredo’s supporters sent a deluge of tweets comparing Pacquiao’s lackluster record with Robredo’s numerous projects despite the meager resources afforded to her office.
“Nakakalungkot na sa kabila ng lahat nang ginawa ni VP Leni, sa kabila ng lahat ng trabaho na kanyang nagawa para makatulong sa ating mga kababayan, may mga magbabato, magbibitaw ng ganitong klaseng salita na alam naman natin hindi nakaangkla sa katotohanan (It is sad that despite all that VP Leni has done, despite all the work she has done to help our fellowmen, there are those who will say things that we all know are not anchored to the truth),” Gutierrez said.
Robredo has trended numerous times over the past 18 months since her office took the challenge of filling in the gaps in the government’s COVID-19 response. Through her private partners, her office was able to provide free shuttle services, dormitories, hot meals, and personal protective equipment to medical frontliners during the height of the pandemic.
She also created programs that will help those who lost their jobs during the pandemic and those who need financial aid for medical-related needs.
The most well-known of her programs are the free antigen testing via the Swab Cab, the free medical teleconsultation platform Bayanihan E-Konsulta, and the Vaccine Express that aims to complement the government’s own vaccination program.
“Hindi ito pagmamalaki, hindi ito pagbubuhat ng bangko pero pagseset lang ng record kasi ang daming paninira (This is not to boast it, but it is to set the record straight because there are so many defamation),” Gutierrez said.
READ: Opposition not helping vs COVID-19? Robredo lets her work speaks for itself
Calling them “trolls,” the spokesman said that Robredo is the only vice president who has done many things for the country despite not having a Cabinet position.
Gutierrez called out Atienza for the misinformation.
“Gusto mong tumayo bilang kandidato para sa mataas na pwesto, ‘di ba unang responsibilidad mo tiyakin mo muna iyong sinasabi mo tama. Tiyakin mo muna iyong sinasabi mo nakabatay sa katotohanan (You want to be a candidate for a high position. Your first responsibility should be to make sure that what you’re saying is right. You first make sure that whatever you’re saying is based on the truth),” he said.