Robredo shrugs off ‘Naga Leaks’

Vice President Leni Robredo talks with the parents of the children-beneficiaries of Operation Smile in the recovery room of the Visayas Community Medical Center after the surgeries.

CEBU CITY—Vice President Leni Robredo has a clear message to the administration in the wake of a supposed expose against her: She won’t be silenced.

She told reporters on Friday that she would continue to voice out her stand on issues even if these ran counter to the Duterte administration.

Robredo believed that the supposed “Naga Leaks”, an alleged expose against her by a group which calls itself, “We are Collective,” was only meant to silence her.

“Yung paglabas ng kung anong leaks yan, ito ay attempt para i-silence tayo (These supposed leaks are attempts to silence us),” she said.

“Hindi ito first time na ginawa. Ilang beses na itong ginawa dati. Hindi nagtagumpay at kahit anong gawin, hindi ito magpapatahimik sa atin (This is not the first time that they have done this. They have done this before. They didn’t succeed and no matter what they do, they cannot keep us quiet),” Robredo said.

“Yung sa atin naman, nakahanda tayo, wala tayong tinatago, hindi tayo nagkasala sa bayan. Yung paniniwala natin, buong puso at buong tapang pa din nating i-iexpress kahit ano pa ‘yung gawin nilang panghaharang dito (On our part, we are ready. We have nothing to hide. We have not sinned against the country. We will continue to express our beliefs, with all our hearts and with courage no matter what they will do to stop us),” she said.

Robredo was in Cebu for a two-day visit.

She arrived on Friday for the launching of “Until We Heal,” a global campaign of Operation Smile in celebration of its 35th anniversary which aimed to broaden the reach of reconstructive facial surgery to indigent children and young adults who have cleft palate and cleft lip.

Robredo, who was tapped as Smile ambassador, went to Visayas Community Medical Center (VCMC) to observe the international surgical mission by Operation Smile.

“Vice President Leni Robredo symbolizes the first major step of advocacy for members in the government. This movement will continue in 35 plus other countries where Operation Smile works on with hospitals, governments and members of the private sector and civil society,” Tim Lu, strategic partnerships director of Operation Smile Philippines told Cebu Daily News.

Robredo talked to patients with facial deformities and observed an actual surgery being done by volunteers at VCMC.

On Saturday, the Vice President would hold a dialog with fisherfolk in San Remegio town, Cebu and grace the relaunching of her late husband Jesse Robredo’s book, “Jesse Robredo: The Quest for Good Governance,” at Ayala Center Cebu.