Robredo remembers her mother "Mommy Sally" at funeral rites
Published Feb 29, 2020 12:00 am
By Raymund Antonio
NAGA CITY -- If there was one person who defended Vice President Leni Robredo from her bashers on social media, it was her own mother, whom she fondly called “Mommy Sally.”
The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Naga City presented a resolution "expressing the deepest condolences" of the City Government to the family of Vice President Leni Robredo, for the loss of her mother, Mrs. Salvacion Gerona. Here, the city council recognized Mrs. Gerona for being a teacher who "touched many lives and helped her students in fulfilling their potential", and as a mother who "served as the guiding light and inspiration of her family." VP Leni received the resolution from the City Government, led by Mayor Nelson Legacion and Vice Mayor Cecilia de Asis, at the last night of Mrs. Gerona's wake on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. (Photo by OVP)
Wearing white, Robredo spoke before a crowd to share this fondest memory of her mother, Salvacion Gerona, at the Peñafrancia Basilica Minore here, where a necrological mass was held.
In her eulogy, Robredo recounted when she had to “frantically call” her Mommy Sally not to respond to every post of trolls against her on Facebook when she was still alive.
The vice president said her mother had told her, “she could not help herself.”
The funeral rites came a week after Gerona, 83, died at the Mother Seton Hospital in Naga City. Robredo did not give details about her mother’s health condition.
Gerona served as a teacher from elementary to college at the Universidad de Sta. Isabel until she became a member of USI’s graduate school of faculty at the age of 82.
The mass was packed with relatives, friends, and Nagueños, who arrived to pay their respects to Gerona and condole with her family. Robredo is the eldest among three children. The two others are Malou and Antonio.
On Friday night, the Naga City Council presented a resolution “expressing the deepest condolences” of the city government to the family of Robredo over the death of Sally.
Robredo remembered her late mother as a “superstar” for being an actress and ballet dancer in school events. To her, Sally was her opposite when she was growing up.
“I was the exact opposite of mommy. I was quiet and didn’t like speaking before a huge crowd, much more performing,” the oppostion leader said.
Sharing what she learned from her mother, Robredo said Sally taught them to value independence, how to be always on time, and maintain composure even in the most difficult situations.
“Mommy went through life with quite resolve and inner fire, focus and fortitude, strength and stamina,” she noted.
The vice president said Sally “pushed us to widen our horizons, to spread our wings, to look for opportunities out of our comfort zones, to explore and to see the world.”
Robredo also said she learned from her how to be resilient, “audacious yet never degrading, empowered and always empowering.”
Her anecdotes about her late mother were full of life even as she recalled her last moments with her in the hospital while she was ready to say goodbye.
“May bilin siya sa amin na siguruduhin maganda iyong make-up (Her instruction to us was to make sure her make-up would be beautiful),” Robredo said, eliciting laugher from the crowd.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Naga City presented a resolution "expressing the deepest condolences" of the City Government to the family of Vice President Leni Robredo, for the loss of her mother, Mrs. Salvacion Gerona. Here, the city council recognized Mrs. Gerona for being a teacher who "touched many lives and helped her students in fulfilling their potential", and as a mother who "served as the guiding light and inspiration of her family." VP Leni received the resolution from the City Government, led by Mayor Nelson Legacion and Vice Mayor Cecilia de Asis, at the last night of Mrs. Gerona's wake on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. (Photo by OVP)
Wearing white, Robredo spoke before a crowd to share this fondest memory of her mother, Salvacion Gerona, at the Peñafrancia Basilica Minore here, where a necrological mass was held.
In her eulogy, Robredo recounted when she had to “frantically call” her Mommy Sally not to respond to every post of trolls against her on Facebook when she was still alive.
The vice president said her mother had told her, “she could not help herself.”
The funeral rites came a week after Gerona, 83, died at the Mother Seton Hospital in Naga City. Robredo did not give details about her mother’s health condition.
Gerona served as a teacher from elementary to college at the Universidad de Sta. Isabel until she became a member of USI’s graduate school of faculty at the age of 82.
The mass was packed with relatives, friends, and Nagueños, who arrived to pay their respects to Gerona and condole with her family. Robredo is the eldest among three children. The two others are Malou and Antonio.
On Friday night, the Naga City Council presented a resolution “expressing the deepest condolences” of the city government to the family of Robredo over the death of Sally.
Robredo remembered her late mother as a “superstar” for being an actress and ballet dancer in school events. To her, Sally was her opposite when she was growing up.
“I was the exact opposite of mommy. I was quiet and didn’t like speaking before a huge crowd, much more performing,” the oppostion leader said.
Sharing what she learned from her mother, Robredo said Sally taught them to value independence, how to be always on time, and maintain composure even in the most difficult situations.
“Mommy went through life with quite resolve and inner fire, focus and fortitude, strength and stamina,” she noted.
The vice president said Sally “pushed us to widen our horizons, to spread our wings, to look for opportunities out of our comfort zones, to explore and to see the world.”
Robredo also said she learned from her how to be resilient, “audacious yet never degrading, empowered and always empowering.”
Her anecdotes about her late mother were full of life even as she recalled her last moments with her in the hospital while she was ready to say goodbye.
“May bilin siya sa amin na siguruduhin maganda iyong make-up (Her instruction to us was to make sure her make-up would be beautiful),” Robredo said, eliciting laugher from the crowd.