Charles Teves
Former vice president Leni Robredo has been out of office for over four months now, but her detractors still managed to criticize her for the alleged lack of action from her to provide help to the victims of Typhoon Karding.
Robredo lost the presidential race to Pres. Bongbong Marcos in a monumental landslide, and her political future have been filled with uncertainties. During her time in office, the Office of the Vice President was praised for actively providing help to people affected by calamities.
In 2020, netizens used #NasaanAngPangulo to criticize former president Rodrigo Duterte’s apparent absence after Typhoon Ulysses decimated a number of locations. In an effort to counter it, his supporters used a similar hashtag to attack Robredo, whose team had already interacted with local authorities in carrying out rescue missions.
It was understandable at the time as Robredo held the second-highest position in the country. However, her critics wouldn’t leave her alone just yet. Despite not being a government employee anymore, critics decided to drag her into the issue of the current government’s failure to quickly respond to the damages done by Typhoon Karding to different areas.
Detractors repeatedly used #NasaanSiLeni on social media in an attempt to make Robredo look bad.
#NasaanSiLeni asan naba si mama leni? Akala koba tutulong padin? Bat wala pang picture? Asan na ang resibo ang bagal naman pwede paki bilisan? Yung on the ground sana sya, o baka sa kanila din lang at sa mga kamag anak nya sya tumulong?
— Jas❤️💚 (@its_jhasminee) September 26, 2022
#NasaanSiLeni
Ba't wala sa ground#NasaanSiLeni pic.twitter.com/PkIp1UCgET— Adel_020411ادريس (@Adel_fuertes418) September 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/J___S0789/status/1574091883965743106?s=20&t=Dri4NaMdJ124PWB2ojr8Cw
#NasaanSiLeni busyng busy ang mga Tangat buhay kakapalit ng label from DSWD to Tangat Buhay sa mga relief goods😂😂😂
— Caritatem et Pacem (@RolandNiabaf) September 25, 2022
Nakalabas na yung bagyo wala parin si Leni on the ground, akala ko ba lagi siyang nauuna on the ground? Yan ang lider ng mga Kakampanget puro salita, puro tweet, puro coordinate, walang action kaya ayaw sa kanya ng mga tao.
— Jam Magno (@ItsJamMagno) September 25, 2022
Robredo’s social media posts have proven her critics wrong once again. Photos show her Angat Buhay team actively carrying out relief operations.
Bago pa man dumating ang bagyong Karding, nakikipag-coordinate na tayo sa ating volunteers, na nag-mobilize agad para sa relief operations.
Gaya ng lagi, posible ang lahat dahil sa bayanihan. Maraming salamat sa lahat ng mga nakikiisa para tumulong sa panahong ito.
— Leni Robredo (@lenirobredo) September 26, 2022
Many still think she deserves to be president.
it shows talaga. leni robredo should be the president.
— dyanne (@saintanri) September 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/binjaeeee/status/1574054611937558533?s=20&t=Zwp02pzD19w2vtWIVY3aLQ
In the most difficult times, a leader must always show up. And Leni is still here with us…showing up.
trolls are always finding her, kasi nasanay kayo na lagi siya unang nag-eemergency respond immediately.
Ang Presidente!#KardingPH pic.twitter.com/ulAqGNmzuv— Claire 🌸🎀 (@claireyu) September 25, 2022
FACT: the PREPOSTEROUS ‘criticism’ of LENI —now a PRIVATE CITIZEN— amid the latest challenges just proves that these jokers with platforms (we know how that came about) are basically nothing but automata HATERS!!! 🙃
— Richard Heydarian (@RichHeydarian) September 26, 2022
The Armed Forces of the Philippines announced that it has “forward deployed” assistance to response teams in Northern, Central, and Southern Luzon before Karding’s landfall.
President Marcos also ordered the energy department to distribute generators with fuel to affected areas. He called off classes and government jobs following preventive measures recommendations from agencies.
Sa kasalukuyan ay tumutulong na po ang ating mga kasundaluhan sa ilang lugar gaya ng Polillio Island, Aurora, Nueva Vizcaya, Quezon Province, at Zambales upang palakasin ang pagresponde ng mga pamahalaang lokal.
— Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) September 26, 2022
Karding has taken multiple lives, including rescuers. Calabarzon came out as the most battered region.
