‘Leni’ camp unfazed by VP’s 7-point drop in trust rating

MAJORITY of Filipinos believe in the competence of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo in spite of an organized effort to malign her in social media, her camp said on Tuesday.

Georgina Hernandez, the spokesman for the Vice President, made the response in connection with the seven- point drop in Robredo’s trust rating in a Pulse Asia survey that stood at 58 percent in December 2016 from 65 percent in September 2016.

“Pulse Asia results are just ones of the data that we are looking at in order for the Vice President to continue improving on her service. But we are glad that it still showed that majority of Filipinos believe in the Vice President’s competence,” Hernandez said in a radio interview.

The Pulse Asia survey was released amid emergence of alleged leaked e- mails between the supporters of Vice President Robredo who are calling for President Rodrigo Duterte’s resignation for his failure to fulfill his campaign promise of eradicating crimes and illegal drugs in three to six months.

“The Vice President is a victim of an organized smear campaign in social media, including these supposedly leaked e- mails. But we just laugh at it because this is just one of those lies that some people throw at the Vice President,” Hernandez pointed out.

“There’s also that misinformation coming from the President that the Vice President attended an Oust Duterte rally or anti- Duterte protests, which she never attended in the first place. All of these things are part of that organized effort to malign her,” the spokesman added.

Before 2016 ended, Duterte said he fired Robredo as a member of his Cabinet in December because the Vice President was attending protests calling for his ouster.

The Vice President has repeatedly said she is not plotting to oust the President and that ousting him from office will bring more harm than good to the country.

“The Vice President respects the mandate that our people gave the President, as well as the mandate that she was given as Vice President,” Hernandez said.

Duterte and Robredo scored contrasting victories during the May 2016 polls.

Then- Davao City Mayor Duterte won in an overwhelming fashion with 16 million votes or nine million votes more than eventual second placer, administration candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd.

Robredo, on the other hand, pulled off a stunning and close victory over early favorite and then- senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Then a Camarines Sur representative, she beat Marcos by 263,473 votes.

“The Vice President is not a part of any group calling for the President’s ouster. Those claiming otherwise are just malicious imputations and seek to mislead the people,” Hernandez said.