Amid tirades from her political opponents, Vice President Leni Robredo on Tuesday said she remained unfazed as she is already battle-scarred.
“I am already battle-scarred. So, for me, if their intent is to derail our efforts, they are just wasting their time,” the independent presidential candidate said.30
“The attacks failed to derail my job in the last six years, what more now during campaign as I see how energized my supporters are? These give us the inspiration to keep going on,” she added.
Robredo’s running mate, Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, bewailed the “red tagging” and other harassment on their allies and supporters.
He also appealed to the Philippine National Police not to allow themselves to be used by politicians.
Pangilinan said he and Robredo are bracing for more dirty tricks and black propaganda as the May 9 polls draw near.
Alex Lacson, a senatorial bet under the Robredo-Pangilinan ticket, said other political groups are “feeling the heat that’s why they are going full throttle with propaganda to counter the vice president’s advance.”
“They failed to find something on the character and track record to demolish VP Leni so they’re using this issue linking her to communist rebels,” he said.
Lacson said that “from the very beginning,” Robredo has rejected violence as a political tool and the communist ideology.
“It is of public record,” said Lacson.
Another senatorial bet, former Rep. Teddy Baguilat, said the “dirty tricks” started as early as 2016 to divert the attention of the public from real issues.
He said the Robredo camp has “no alliance” with communist rebels even as they are open to peace talks to resolve the insurgency problem.
Former Rep. Erin Tañada, campaign manager of the senatorial slate of the Robredo camp, said that if rally attendance is a referendum, “the detractors of the vice president already saw that people have turned them down.”
“Only aliens would mistake the hip, happy, and huge pink rallies for a communist revival party,” he said.
