Leni, daughters prepared for black propaganda

MANILA, Philippines - Vice presidential aspirant and Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo said yesterday she and her three daughters braced themselves for black propaganda when they decided that she would give the vice presidency a shot.

She told an ABS-CBN News Channel morning talk show that they expected some nasty things to be said about them following such decision. She guested in the show with daughters Aika and Tricia.

“We felt that we will all be in the line of fire,” she said.

Echoing her mother’s statement, Aika said, “When we gave our blessing to our mom’s vice presidential candidacy, we knew we have to prepare ourselves for attacks.”

Robredo said they are now being subjected to black propaganda in the social media.

She said one post claims that she did not find as lewd the controversial Playgirls’ show during the birthday celebration of Liberal Party (LP) colleague Rep. Benjie Agarao of Laguna.

“I did not say that. I told my daughters not to be affected by it because it’s not true. It would be a waste of time to pay attention to everything said about us that is untrue,” she said.

Aika said another post alleges that her father, the late local government secretary Jesse Robredo, would have been disappointed with his wife’s decision to run for vice president if he were alive today.

She said her father would have supported her mother’s decision.

Rep. Robredo said a third post has it that the ruling party is just using her.

She denied the allegation, saying the party to which she belongs is not using her and that she and her daughters decided that she aspire for the vice president so she could pursue a mission – to serve the people.

She said President Aquino, her LP standard bearer Manuel Roxas II and other party leaders did not pressure them into agreeing to run as Roxas’ vice presidential candidate.

She said there was no such pressure when she and her daughters met with Aquino.

“We told him what our reservations and concerns were, that it was not a good idea for me to run for vice president. He tried to answer all our concerns. He told us that when he was in a similar situation, he also hesitated. But he asked us to keep an open mind and to think about it,” Robredo recounted.

Revealing the processes that went into their decision for her to give the vice presidency a shot, she said she consulted with her family, close friends and her leaders in Camarines Sur. They met with their spiritual adviser on Sept. 27.

She told them that accepting Roxas’ offer to be his running mate “is something I have to do.”

“I felt in my heart that this was what I was meant to do. That if I let this opportunity pass, I would regret it for the rest of my life,” she said.

She recalled that their spiritual adviser and the people they consulted asked her a common question: would she be at peace with her decision to do what she said she had to do. And her answer was yes.