Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday, Feb. 6, asked fake news peddlers not to interfere into the aid being provided by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) as erroneous claims about the housing materials her team brought to Siargao made rounds on social media.
Robredo, a presidential aspirant, challenged those who will believe the posts to ask the communities they are helping since they are the ones on the ground.
“Ano naman to, eh tumulong na lang sila. Huwag na nilang pakialaman ‘yung tulong namin kasi hindi naman nila—ang maniniwala lang sa kanila ‘yung mga kasama nila na napapa-ikot ng kasinungalingan (They should just help. They should not interfere in our help because they will not—the ones who believe them are their peers who they’ve already manipulated with lies),” she told reporters in Camarines Sur.
The Vice President was in Brgy. Balongay for the turnover of sustainable livelihood subsidy to barangay farmers and fisherfolks association.
The sustainable livelihood program (SLP) is 100 percent funded by Robredo’s office.
“Ginagawa na namin ito 2016 pa, sila ‘yung may ginagawa lang dahil eleksyon (We’ve been doing this since 2016, while they’re doing it because it’s the elections),” Robredo added.
The official Facebook page of the Vice President also earlier posted a fake news alert on the social media platform.
The screenshot of the post claimed that the housing materials donated by OVP’s Angat Buhay program to Siargao were actually from her rival, former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
READ: Robredo keeps promise to give housing materials to typhoon-hit families in Siargao, Dinagat Islands
The post claimed that Robredo arrived only to put pink plastic bags on the site to make it seem like the donation was hers.
The photos used by the fake news peddler were grabbed from Robredo’s personal post after she went to the island to turn over the construction materials for the Angat Bubay sa Kalikasant Buhay Village there.
She expressed confidence the communities she has helped in Siargao will not be fooled by the false claims because her team coordinates with every community they go to.
The opposition leader and lone female presidential candidate this May stressed that the “receipts” are with them to prove where the donation came from.
Even the local government unit (LGU) there knows about the project.
Robredo is currently in Camarines Sur for the kick off of the start of the official campaign season on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
They will go around the province in a motorcade. And although supporters are welcome to join them, she asked all to do a stationary caravan instead to save on fuel costs and as not to cause traffic in the areas.