Vice President Leni Robredo’s daughters, Aika and Tricia, took to social media to post their birthday greetings to their mother, recalling her hard work and work ethics that became shining examples throughout their lives.

Tricia, a doctor, shared that working with the vice president closely in the past month “has given me intense grade school flashbacks: me coming home with an 8 out of 10 even after thinking that I already studied hard for the test, and you saying that I could still do better if we adjust our game plan.”

She has been working with Robredo as a volunteer doctor in the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) Bayanihan E-Konsulta initiative, which provides free medical teleconsultation to COVID-19 and non-COVID patients in the National Capital Region Plus (NCR Plus) bubble.

“Found myself in a similar situation the other week when I felt we were already doing so much and you saying we could still do more. I thought it was already borderline ambitious but apparently this is what it’s like having you as a boss.”

Tricia shared that when she goes through their message threads first thing in the morning, she feels “bad” when she see timestamps indicating that her mother was “probably one of the last ones to retire after another long night.”

“But looking back, I shouldn’t even be surprised because this is how you’ve always been: always locked in, first one in and last one out,” she added.

Back when they were still young, Robredo would wake up at four in the morning to take them to swim training and sleep close to midnight to finish their reviewers for school.

Two decades later, the vice president is the same doting mother and public official. She would wake up at 7 a.m. in time for the first shift in the office and sleep close to 2 a.m.

“I am amused (and sometimes just a little annoyed haha) at how stubborn and persistent you could get. Pero nakakahanga at mas nakakaganang magtaya. Thank you for always reminding me how it should be done: with courage, with purpose and ultimately with love. Happy birthday, Mama. Ready to go into any battle with you any day,” Tricia said.

Aika, Robredo’s eldest daughter, said this year was the most she and her sisters have seen their mother at home since 2013 when she won as representative of Camarines Sur.

“I consider it the biggest compliment when people say my sisters and I are growing up to be just like Mama, who is everything we aspire to be,” she said in an Instagram post.

“Happy 56th birthday, Ma!! We love you, most especially when you are in your rollers and your daster (house dress). For us, mothering is still what you do best,” Aika added.

Robredo spent her birthday in quarantine at home after being exposed to a COVID-19 positive close-in security last week. She already tested negative twice to an RT-PCR test but she needs to complete her 10-day quarantine.

To celebrate her birthday, Robredo’s supporters had a lugaw (rice porridge) eating program in different parts of the country. The vice president’s critics and internet trolls call her Lugaw Queen as a reference to her supporters selling porridge to raise funds during her 2016 vice presidential campaign.