Fake news peddlers are working overtime to spread fake news against Vice President Leni Robredo her because, in her view, the momentum has shifted to her side especially because of the massive campaign rallies that drew tens of thousands of her supporters.
During a press conference with Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando, who endorsed her presidential bid, Robredo said that there’s a rise in the proliferation of fake news against her because her ranking has steadily increased since she filed her Certificate of Candidacy (COC).
“Siguro nararamdaman nila ‘yung (Maybe they can feel the) shift on the ground,” she told reporters who asked about the surmounting fake news against her lately.
The aspiring president explained that when she filed her COC in October, she was just between three to seven percent with a ranking of six to eight in the surveys. But by the end of the year, she already ranked number two, which she earlier said surprised her.
“So, inaasahan natin lalo pang titindi lalo na ngayon nakikita natin iyong dami ng tao sa mga rallies (we are expecting that this will intensify now that they are seeing the number of people in the rallies),” Robredo added.
Addressing the media, she said most of them where in the rallies in Bacolod and they can attest to the “truth” that there were as much people there as the organizers said.
“Kayo, marami sa inyo nandun. Nakita nyo (You, many of you were there. You saw) with your two eyes kung ano iyong katotohanan (what’s the truth),” Robredo stressed.
The Vice President was referring to her detractors’ claims that the drone shot photos of some 86,000 people who attended the grand rally in Bacolod on March 11 were photoshopped with red onions.
Ilocos Sur Gov. Ryan Singson, an Ilocano who supports former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s presidential bid, even posted a photo of red onions on his Instagram story. He captioned it with, “Kalma lang, sibuyas ‘yan (Keep calm, those are onions).”
Robredo also mentioned that on Sunday night, March 13, she posted on Facebook a fake news alert against someone spreading false news against her.
READ: ‘Try harder’: Robredo belies text scam linking her to communists
A certain Laine Alaiza posted on Facebook allegations that Robredo got married at 15 years old to a member of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed win of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), and that the late former Interior secretary Jesse Robredo was only her second husband.
She belied these claims, saying that her classmates both in high school and the University of the Philippines on Diliman can attest that she has never taken a leave of absence to get married or give birth as the fake news claimed.
The lady official said it’s time to “push back” against many of the “wild” allegations against her.
Robredo didn’t use to spend time clarifying such allegations because she didn’t want to dignify the trolls.
“Dahil sa lessons na nakuha natin at tingin namin pagkakamali namin, kapag may (Because of the lessons we learned and we think that our mistake, when there are) fake news kailangan pansinin. And ngayon bugbog na ko sa (we need to address. And now, I’m battered by) bashing, kasinungalingan (lies), it has been something that has been hounding me since 2016,” she added.