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MANILA, Philippines – Aika Robredo, the eldest daughter of presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo, asked for the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) over the fake video scandal of her going around on the internet.

According to Robredo’s camp, a letter was sent to the NBI on Thursday, April 21, on behalf of the Vice President’s daughter. The letter addressed to Michelle Valdez, officer in charge of the NBI Cybercrime Division, asked for a probe into possible crimes committed by those who spread the fake video. 

“The past few days have seen a sudden surge of uploads and posts in various blogs, porn sites and social media platforms that mislead the public and give the impression that our client has videos or photos allegedly showing her in a scandalous pose or act,” the letter stated.

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Through her counsels, Aika said that though she wanted to ignore the attack, she sought the assistance of the authorities to avoid others from being victimized too. 

“We are filing this not just for Aika, but for all those who could be victimized by these online predators. We will not stop until the perpetrators of this atrocious act are behind bars,” Pingki Bartolome, co-counsel of Aika, said. 

The lawyer also attached an initial list of links the NBI may use in its investigation. 

Aika became the target of disinformation when it was made to appear that she was in a faked video scandal.

The stream of disinformation against the Robredos started proliferating social media when the latest pre-election survey showed the Vice President’s numbers improving.

The Vice President said she was not surprised by this development because she had been a victim of disinformation ever since assumed office in 2016. During her visit to La Union in early April, the Vice President already said that their lawyers will take legal action against the recent attacks. 

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At the start of the attacks against Aika, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines reminded candidates to not use women to gain votes or smear their opponents. 

On Sunday, April 17, the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group said the Robredo camp needs to formally ask for their assistance before they can proceed in investigating the fake video, based on a Philippine News Agency report.

The PNP-ACG said they are waiting for the said request. – Rappler.com