Robredo offended by Sotto's 'na-ano lang' remark on fellow single mom Taguiwalo

Vice President Leni Robredo joined other single moms who took offense in Sen. Vicente Sotto III's controversial remark about the status of Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo as a solo parent.

At a forum in St. Theresa's College-Quezon City, Robredo was asked about raising her three daughters by herself, a role she took on since her husband, former Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, died in 2012.

Before responding to the question, she said: "Ako, first of all, parang I took offense on what was said during the hearing of the Commission on Appointments."

In a hearing of the Commission on Appointments earlier this week, Sotto told Taguiwalo that in "street language," raising kids as a single mom is called "na-ano lang."

Following backlash, Sotto said he was "sorry," calling his remark a joke that his critics apparently did not get. He added that anything "under the sun" can be asked in a Commission on Appointments' confirmation hearing.

Taguiwalo said she accepts Sotto's apology, and has refused to speak more about the incident.

'Guilty all the time'

During Saturday's forum, Robredo talked about the difficulty of being a single mother, especially since it came with a call to enter politics.

"It is difficult in the sense that you are doing work good for two people. Nasabi ko po kanina, it has been very difficult for me because my being a solo parent came at the heels of so many changes in our life," she said.

The Vice President has admitted that she feels "guilty all the time" over missing some events in her children's lives because she needs to be not just mother and father to them, but also a public official.

"Guilty all the time because for the longest time I was there with them every step of the way. Tapos ngayon iyong pinakamahalagang competiton hindi ko man lang napanood. You know those things," she said.

'Zen' approach

The Vice President, however, said there was no other choice but to "move on from one situation to another," and be strong for her children.

"Parang you cannot be too emotional about it, kasi you know that your children will gather strength from you. Hindi pwedeng hihina-hina," she said. "Children naman are very resilient, 'di ba? 'Pag nakikita nila strength, strong din sila. 'Pag nakita nilang drama queen ka, magiging drama princesses din sila."

She said she and her children—aged 29, 22, and 17—have become "zen" amid the issues surrounding her vice presidency, including her possible impeachment and an ongoing electoral protest.

She recalled how her children reacted last week, when a group of lawyers submitted the second impeachment complaint against her, hours after she settled the P8-million cash deposit at the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

"Tinext ko sa mga anak ko na— They knew that I was depositing the 8 million but I texted them meron pang impeachment. Yung isa sa mga anak ko, ang sagot niya sa Viber was "rak." R-a-k. Parang 'rock!' 'Yung isa naman ang sagot "bring it on." Yung isa, 'keep them coming,'" she said.

Parang your know, you just need to keep light of the difficult things and the difficult decisions that we have to face", she added.

"Pero I think ang pagiging calm, 'yung pagiging strong, I think it also comes from the fact that none of the accusations are true. I think 'yun 'yung bala ko. Kung hindi naman totoo, you will not be bothered by it," she went on. —ALG, GMA News