News Roundup 17 April 2022
Apr 17, 2022 • 5 min Read
Robredo unfazed by rivals’ call for her to quit presidential race | INQUIRER.NET – Presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo doesn’t appear to be bothered by the joint Easter Sunday press conference held by her rivals who called for her withdrawal from the May 9 polls while vowing to finish the presidential race. In a Facebook post, Robredo shared photos of her dinner with farmers from Sumilao, Bukidnon in celebration of Easter. One of her supporters then commented “VP magkano po nawithdraw niyo today sa ATM?” (VP, how much did you withdraw today from the ATM) alluding to the said joint conference held the same day where Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso urged Robredo to withdraw her candidacy. “Chill lang. Mahaba pa pila. Choz (Just chill. There’s still a long queue),” she replied back. The said conference was held jointly by presidential bets Moreno, Senator Panfilo Lacson and former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales. Senator Manny Pacquiao was also supposed to attend the conference but did not make it in time. After the conference, thousands of netizens then poked fun at the withdrawal calls. Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Robredo’s spokesperson Atty. Barry Guttierrez shrugged off the said joint conference. “From the start, it has been the prerogative of every candidate to continue till the end, the same as it is the choice of a candidate to disregard surveys, rally attendance, endorsements, or any other conventional measure of support,” said Gutierrez. “We wish every candidate who decides to push through to the end, only the best,” he added. However, Gutierrez questioned whether the conference, which was held in the lavish Manila Peninsula hotel in Makati City, was necessary. “Must this assertion be made through bluster and falsehood? Who benefits from such theatrics? What is best for the Filipino people? Perhaps, silence would have had more depth; at the very least, it would exhibit less self-entitlement, fragility, and toxicity,” said Gutierrez.
Former Isko supporters take offense at Manila mayor’s tirades | PHILSTAR.COM – Former leading figures of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso’s volunteer group said Sunday that they were offended at statements made at a joint press conference earlier in the day, saying canidates who took part in it have “become the greatest allies of Marcos in this election.” The press conference was called by Moreno, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and former national security adviser Norberto Gonzales. While it was meant to announce that they were not withdrawing from the presidential race, the candidates also took potshots at Vice President Leni Robredo, who is trailing survey frontrunner Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. In a statement, Thomas Orbos, Elmer Argaño, Rommel Abessamis, Philip Evardone, and Ed Cojuangco said that the presidential candidates “have taken the road of vindictive machismo attacking a lady.” They said the three candidates seem to be more “scared of the No. 2 than the No. 1,” in reference to pre-election surveys. “She is our best bet and we thought you would understand that you would be doing a great service to our country to have a united front,” the group said. The press conference of Moreno, Lacson, Gonzales — vice-presidential candidates Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Dr. Willie Ong — was held on Easter Sunday at the five-star Peninsula Manila. Sen. Manny Pacquaio, who is also running for president, did not make it to the event, but his name was included in a printed statement related to the conference. The candidates claimed that Robredo and people from her campaign have been trying to get some of them to withdraw from the elections. However, they also took aim at Robredo for allegedly hijacking their campaign volunteer groups with Moreno going as far as saying — without evidence — that their supporters were being bought off. Orbos, Argaño, Abessamis, Evardone, and Cojuanco—in their statement—took offense at Moreno’s comment: “Is that how you perceive all [the] help that you got from us?”
Robredo on Easter Sunday: Follow Christ’s footsteps, help those in the margins of society | INQUIRER.NET – Vice President Leni Robredo reminded Filipinos on Easter Sunday that they are not alone amidst the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. In her Easter Sunday message, Robredo noted that this is the second time that the country celebrates Holy Week under the pandemic that recently triggered another strict lockdown in Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces. “Gaya ng paulit-ulit na nating pinatunayan sa mga nagdaang taon: Walang Pilipinong nag-iisa. Magkakaiba man ang mga kontekstong pinanggagalingan natin, iisang ‘better normal’ ang pangarap nating pandayin— isang mundong mas patas, mas makatao, mas makatarungan, lalo na para sa mga nasa laylayan,” she said. (Like what we have repeatedly proven in the previous years, there is no Filipino who is alone. We may have come from different backgrounds, but we are aiming for a common “better normal”—a world that is more fair, humane and just, especially for people in the lowest levels of society.) “At dahil bitbit natin ang isa’t isa, walang duda — gaya ng pangakong dala ng muling pagkabuhay, isang pangako ng buhay na walang-hanggan na nagbubukal sa walang-hanggang pag-ibig at pag-asa — tiyak na mararating natin ang mithiin na ito,” she added. (And because we got each other’s back, there is no doubt that just like the promise brought by the resurrection, the promise of eternal life that gives way to endless love and hope — we are sure that we will realize this goal.) The Vice President likewise noted how the pandemic has continued to change our lives in recent weeks, especially in view of rising cases, the burden on the healthcare system and shrinking economy. These “disruptions,” she said, have brought mixed emotions, from fear to doubt to sadness. “But if there is anything that Easter and the Lenten Season reminds us, it is that during these extraordinary times of darkness, we are renewed by our faith, hope, and love for one another,” Robredo said. “Ito ang nagpapatatag at nagpapalakas sa atin, ang sisigurong maaalpasan natin ang kalbaryong pasan natin ngayon. Sa pagmamahal ni Kristo, sa pagpili Niyang makiisa sa lahat ng hirap at pagsubok ng buhay natin, humuhugot tayo ng inspirasyon para magsimula at makabangon muli,” the Vice President added.
