ISABELA, Philippines — In a rare swipe at her political archrival, Vice President Leni Robredo said the road to true unity can be reached by never forgetting the lessons taught by history.
“Huwag po nating kalimutan ang kasaysayan. Sa halip, balikan natin ang mga aral na nagdala sa atin dito. Dito nagbubukal ang totoong unity,” Robredo told a crowd of 70,000 at a rally in Negros Occidental.
(Let us not forget history. Instead, let us revisit the lessons that brought us here. From this springs true unity.)
She continued, “Ito ang totoong pagkakaisa — pagkakaisang babaklas sa luma at bulok na sistema at magsusulong ng gobyernong tapat, na mag-aangat ng buhay ng lahat.”
(This is true unity — the unity that will dismantle the old and rotten system and will push for an honest government that will uplift the lives of all.)
Robredo did not mention anyone by name, but it was clear that she was referring to her rival candidate, former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, who is running on a blanket platform of unity.
Marcos’ campaign and his allies have been framing a rosy picture of the brutal regime that saw thousands tortured and billions stolen from government coffers.
His family, meanwhile, has refused to acknowledge widespread documentation on Marcos Sr.’s 20-year rule as an autocrat.
Independent fact-checkers also say that Bongbong is the top beneficiary of favorable false information online, some of which distorts historical facts about his father’s regime.
A whistleblower had claimed that the Marcoses hired controversial British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica to embark on a campaign to rebrand their image.
Marcos has denied these reports and dared critics to prove them.
Disclosure: This story was made possible through the support of Vice President Leni Robredo's campaign, which arranged transportation and accommodations for the Philstar.com reporting team. This article was produced following editorial guidelines and the Robredo campaign did not have input on how the story would be written.