FALSE: Robredo says PH wrapped in darkness, she is ready to become president

At a glance:

• Claim: Vice President Leni Robredo said that the Philippines is wrapped in darkness, we must bring life back to each Filipino, and she is ready to become president of the Philippines.
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: There are no records of Robredo saying the full quote attributed to her. The Office of the Vice President also denied it.
• Why we fact checked this: The quote card, posted on the page “LABAN PINAS” on Thursday, October 15, was posted for verification on the “Fact-Checking in the Philippines” Facebook group. It has 1,800 reactions, 1,200 comments, and 1,000 shares as of posting.

Complete details:

Vice President Leni Robredo supposedly said that the Philippines is wrapped in darkness, we must bring each Filipino back to life, and she is ready to become president of the Philippines.

This is false.

There are no records of Robredo saying the full quote in the post. In a Viber message, the OVP also denied that Robredo ever said the quote posted on “LABAN PINAS.”

Robredo was quoted as saying: “Ang Pilipinas ay nababalot sa kadiliman, ibalik natin ang dating sigla ng bawat mamamayan, I am ready to become president of the Philippines.” (The Philippines is wrapped in darkness, let’s bring life back to every citizen, I am ready to become president of the Philippines.)

Robredo has said similar things in the past, but never all at once.

At a celebration of the Liberal Party’s (LP) 72nd anniversary on January 19, 2018, Robredo said, “Marami na pong yugto iyong ating kasaysayan na nabalot din tayo sa kadiliman. Marami nang yugto iyong ating kasaysayan na akala din ng marami wala nang pag-asa iyong ating bayan. Pero madalas sino iyong tumatayo, sino iyong tumitindig para ipakipaglaban iyong [ating] mga paniniwala? Liberal Party po iyon.”

(There were many times in history when the country was also wrapped in darkness. There were many moments in history when many thought there was no more hope for the nation. But who usually stands up to fight for our beliefs? The Liberal Party.)

Robredo also said in previous interviews that she’s ready to take over the presidency should anything happen to President Rodrigo Duterte, as it is part of her role as vice president.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV in August 2019, Robredo said that she was open to the possibility of running for president in 2022. When asked if she was ready to be president, she said: “When I ran for the vice presidency, that was one of the prerequisites – that I’m ready to be president. Because the mandate of the Philippine vice president is to take over if anything happens to the president. So I would not have run for the vice presidency if I thought that I was not ready for the presidency.”

In an episode of GMA News’ segment “Quarantined with Howie Severino,” which aired on September 15, Robredo said in a mix of English and Filipino that she was ready to succeed Duterte should the need arise: “I’ve been ready since I was elected Vice President. And the last 4 years, I made sure that I’ve been studying. We don’t want any eventuality to happen, but that’s my obligation if something happens.” – Vernise Tantuco/Rappler.com

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