Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Vice President Leni Robredo is taking up the cudgels against cyberbullies.
She warns she will take legal action against those who malign her and the reputation of her late husband, Jesse, the former Interior Secretary.
“Enough is enough. In the coming days, we shall be studying the various options, including legal action, for a principled response against these,” she said in a statement on Monday.
A website named “We Are Collective” on March 3, launched its first of five exposes against the Robredos. The exposes were dubbed as “Naga Leaks,” in reference to the Camarines Sur city where the late Robredo served as mayor for many years. The anonymous writer of the article described himself or herself as a Bicolano who supported President Rodrigo Duterte.
The first expose of “Naga Leaks” said illegal gambling and the drug trade allegedly flourished in Naga City during Robredo’s mayoral term. It also claimed that contrary to simple, slipper-shod, populist persona the late Robredo projected to the public, he was ruthless to his detractors, and did not properly declare assets such as condominium units in Quezon City. The late Robredo died in a plane crash on August 18, 2012 during his term as Interior Secretary.
Vice President Robredo hit back at the website, which has since been taken down along with its Facebook page, and said she is offended by the “constant stream of lies” hurled at her family.
“We must put a stop to the massive and orchestrated campaigns of defamation and deceit that have come to characterize our public spaces, particularly social media,” she said.
Robredo called on others who have been victimized by fake news and online trolls to join her fight against cyberbullies.
“It has always been my belief that, in the end, truth will always prevail. So I encourage all of you: Stay strong. Stay true,” she said.
Robredo, who is the standardbearer of the opposition Liberal Party, has had a lukewarm relationship with President Duterte since she resigned as chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council in December 2016.
Meanwhile, the Vice President, who has been portrayed by supporters as a simple woman with a heart for the poor and marginalized, has been criticized for her actions, such as pushing through with a family trip to the United States despite knowing that Naga City and the surrounding provinces were in the direct path of a strong typhoon last Christmas Eve, and for allegedly plotting to destabilize and steal the presidency.
Duterte in a press briefing on Monday felt that recent controversy such as the resurfacing of a witness who linked him to alleged extrajudicial killings were part of a destabilization plot. However, he denied allegations that Robredo was involved.
“Maybe destabilization; make me unpopular ‘yung mangamoy ako, sige lang. So be it. Tingnan natin,” Duterte said.
[Translation: Maybe destabilization; make me unpopular, that’s what I smell. It’s okay. So be it. Let’s see.]
“Pero hindi ko sila sabi na kasali ‘yan si Leni ha. I do not want to drag her name,” the President added.
[Translation: But I’m not saying that Leni is part of it.]
When asked about “Naga Leaks,” he said that any malicious rumors about the Robredos will die down and he will not bother with “garbage.”
“It’s not my job, and even when I was mayor vis-à-vis with my political opponents. I never really used black propaganda,” Duterte said on March 9.
