The daughters of Vice President Leni Robredo are focusing on two things first as they wait for their official roles in their mom’s people’s campaign: fight against the deluge of fake news about her and encourage supporters to wear pink every Wednesday.
Aika, Robredo’s eldest daughter, said in the Facts First podcast that they will campaign separately from their mom although they are still waiting for former Senator Bam Aquino, the vice president’s campaign manager, to put them up to task.
Only Aika, a director of a non-government organization, and Tricia, a medical doctor, are in the country to help with their mother’s campaign. Their youngest sibling, Jillian, is in New York for her senior year in college.
Aika said their roles might be similar to what they did in 2016 when their mother run for vice president—attend separate sorties to cover more ground.
As for dealing with the endless fake news being written and spread about the vice president, Aika said their focus “is how do we fight back online.”
Robredo’s eldest daughter shrugged off the viciousness of the trolls, critics, and bashers.
“I think parang na-desensitized na kami. Parang kapag iniisip namin ano pa ‘yung pwede nilang sabihin na hindi pa nila nasabi (we have been desensitized. We think about what they can say that they haven’t said) before. And it is not something na pinoproblema namin sa totoo lang (that we’re problematizing about, in truth),” she said.
If none of the things their mothers’ bashers can affect them, then they’re on the losing end, she stressed.
While waiting for their official roles, the Robredo sisters took to social media on Monday, October 11, to ask their mother’s supporters to wear pink every Wednesday.
READ: VP Leni says 'pink is the people's choice'
“Bilang na bilang lang pink kong gamit at may trentang Wednesdays pa before May 9, 2022 but TARAAA G?! (I can count my pink clothes and there are still 30 Wednesdays before May 9, 2022, but let’s go?!),” Tricia said in a Twitter post with pink ribbon emoji now being associated to the vice president.
Aika encouraged her mom’s supporters to make wearing pink “a Wednesday habit.”
“Kung isa lang pink niyo (tulad ko), 'yan nalang isuot every Wednesday! Hahahaha. Pwede rin pink mug, kahit anong pink (If you only have one pink shirt like me, then just wear it every Wednesday. Hahahaha. You can also use pink mug, whatever pink)! Let's use this hashtag: #KakampinkWednesdays Let's go, mga kakampink!,” she tweeted.
Kakampink is a term used by Aquino on his first campaign bulletin as Robredo’s campaign manager.
READ: Robredo’s campaign manager rallies ‘kakampink’: Speak up, counter fake news
It refers to the explosion of pink-themed profiles and news feed that greeted the vice president after she announced last Oct. 7 that she’s joining the 2022 presidential race.
Celebrities, artists, small businesses, and ordinary people posted something pink on their news feed during her announcement. The hashtag #LabanLeni2022 trended at the top spot of Twitter Philippines and worldwide on that day.