Claim: VP Robredo claims that her election loss was a blessing in disguise
Rating: MISSING CONTEXT
A quote card circulating online features a statement by outgoing-vice president Leni Robredo wherein she declared that her loss in the 2022 National Elections is actually beneficial for her to avoid “bigger” problems in the future:
“Ako kasi naniniwala ako na yung lahat na nangyayari ay may dahilan. So ako, nung hindi ako nanalo, marami akong sinasabi sa sarili ko, pero one of the things that I kept telling myself was talagang mahal ako ng Diyos na siguro iniiwas ako sa mas malaking problema (My personal belief is that everything in life happens for a reason. So for me, when I didn’t win, I’ve been reminding myself a lot, and one of these is if God really loves me, maybe He is preventing me from confronting bigger problems).”
Several pro-Marcos supporters, socmed pages, and media outlets have used the quote to disparage Robredo, citing that she only ran for president for selfish reasons.
The statement was verbatim, however, it was taken out-of-context and it failed to consider her broader message.
The Facts: Following the visit of vice president-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio’s transition team to the Office of the Vice President at Quezon City, a private meet-and-greet event was held by Robredo and OVP officials.
Videos of the event posted on social media verify that Robredo indeed stated the quote. Nevertheless, she clarified that despite the outcome of the elections, she encouraged her supporters to continue fighting for the causes that they advocated throughout her presidential campaign. She stressed that supporters must continue fighting for the country and ‘to never give up.’
In July of this year, Robredo is set to launch her Angat Buhay NGO, which she intends to establish as the latest volunteer NGO of the country. This initiative would cap her six-year tenure as vice president, sparked by the extensive volunteerism that marked her presidential campaign during the past months and her track record of public service throughout her term of office.
Why we fact-checked this: With over 13,000 engagements on various social media platforms, the post is a deliberate attempt to misrepresent and defame Robredo’s character. Since her participation in the presidential race in the 2022 National Elections, Robredo has been the target of the Marcos-Duterte disinformation campaign. Now more than ever, we must resist and strongly condemn their disinformation propaganda.
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