Outgoing VP concedes, tells supporters that they should not further divide the country
(Eagle News) – Vice-President Leni Robredo on Friday night, May 13, urged her supporters to accept the decision of the majority of Filipinos, and not to be the root of further divisions in the country.
During her “thanksgiving” event for her supporters in Ateneo, Quezon City, Robredo said that she is appealing to her supporters to do what is right and accept the results of the elections, even if this was not what they had hoped for.
“Uulitin ko ang sinabi ko nung isang gabi. Hindi puede na tayo pa ang maging dahilan ng lalong pagkawatak-watak ng ating bansa,” said Robredo.
(I will repeat what I said the other night. It is not right that we would be the reason for the further division of our country)
Robredo, who placed a distant second to former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., said that there is still hope and light in these elections.
He assured her supporters and those who voted for her that their legal team is also looking into allegations of vote buying in the May 9, 2022 elections.
They are also consulting various data scientists and experts, she said.
-May 9 election results getting clearer, says Robredo-
But Robredo pointed out that it is getting clearer that she did not win, and this had to be accepted.
Robredo got 14.8 million votes as of the latest partial and unofficial count with over 98 percent of the votes counted. She is a far second to frontrunner Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who got over 31 million votes.
She thus appealed to all her supporters to accept and respect this decision of the majority in the country.
“Pero habang lumilinaw ang litrato, kailangan din nating simulang tanggapin na hindi ayon sa mga pangarap natin ang resulta ng eleksyong ito,” she told the thousands of supporters who gathered at the Ateneo grounds.
(But the picture is getting clearer, and we have to accept that the results of these elections was not the dream that we had hoped for.)
“Sa ganitong paraan, masisimulan na rin natin na itutok ang sarili sa hinaharap (In this way, we could start looking into the future),” she said.
“Kailangan nating tanggapin ang pasya ng mayorya. Nakikiusap ako sa inyo na makiisa sa akin ukol dito. Kilalanin at pagsisikapan na hindi mapunta sa wala ang naabot natin sabay sa pagrespeto sa tinig ng nakararami,” Robredo said.
(We have to accept the decision of the majority. I am appealing to you to be one with me on this. We have to recognize this and work hard so our achievements would not be for naught, and at the same time respect the voice of the majority).
During her entire speech, however, she did not mention frontrunner Marcos Jr’s name.
The outgoing Vice-President also said that they would continue to “fight disinformation.”
She also announced that they would launch the “Angat Buhay” NGO (non government organization) which she described as the biggest volunteer network in the country’s history.
“Patuloy nating tutulungan ang mga nasa laylayan, pero hindj tayo mamimili ng tutulungan,” she said.
Robredo also expressed her sincere gratitude to her supporters for their help in her campaign.
It was during her May 10 message that Robredo first touched on the election results, but talked more of the dismay she and her supporters had felt as the numbers came in.
But even then, she called on her supporters to accept the “voice of the people.”
“Palinaw na nang palinaw ang tinig ng taumbayan. Sa ngalan ng Pilipinas na alam kong mahal na mahal rin ninyo: Kailangan nating pakinggan ang tinig na ito, dahil sa huli, iisa lang ang bayang pinagsasaluhan natin,” she said then.
(Eagle News Service)