Robredo does not believe only 'good people' deserve help in Mindanao quake —VP camp

The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo belied claims by Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Mon Cualoping linking her to the comments made by a supporter that only the good people of Mindanao deserve help amid the series of earthquakes there.

Lawyer Barry Gutierrez, spokesperson for the Vice President, issued the statement after Robredo's known supporter Yoly Villanueva-Ong posted on Twitter that the good people of Mindanao, not the DDS or the supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte, deserve the aid.

“The Vice President replied via a direct message to Assistant Secretary Cualoping stating that Ms. Ong has never been employed at the OVP (Office of the Vice President); the Vice President is totally not in favor of the indicated post on the Mindanao earthquake; and this is not the time for politicking but for unity in the face of a national tragedy,”  Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez then questioned Cualoping’s motives in dragging the Vice President with Ong’s comments on the earthquake, given that Cualoping has yet to respond to the reply that the Vice President sent him to clarify the issue.

“The Vice President replied directly to Assistant Secretary Mon Cualoping, and not in a public post, precisely because she did not want the tragedy that has affected so many of our fellow Filipinos to be further politicized. It is apparent, however, that some quarters are determined to use this to attack Vice President Robredo, even as the OVP is engaged in efforts to provide assistance to those displaced by the earthquakes,” Gutierrez pointed out.

“We hope this will settle this issue, so that we can put to rest, even if only for a moment, the seemingly endless political mudslinging, and focus on what is truly important about this issue: That we must come together and help our brothers and sisters in Mindanao who need our support in this time of tragedy,” Gutierrez added.

Ong has already apologized to Robredo for her comments a day before, but she did not take back her comments at President Duterte’s supporters who were victimized by the earthquake.

“May I clarify that I have never been part of the OVP. Apologies to Vice President Leni. It was not my intention to hurt the Mindanaoans. My tweet was directed only at DDS (Duterte Diehard Supporters) not at all Davaoeños,” Ong said in a Twitter post on Monday night.

“The intention was to make them think about the malice they do…like now,” Ong added.

On Tuesday morning, Ong finally apologized for her comments.

“I have allowed my politics to cloud my better judgment. For this, I apologize profoundly to Mindanaoans. I pray that the Mindanaoans will accept my apology. And I hope this puts a closure on this issue,” Ong said in a Twitter post.

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake rocked Mindanao in southern Philippines on October 29. Two days later, on October 31, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit the same area.

Twenty-one people died, 421 were injured and two were missing due to the earthquakes, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office's situation report on Tuesday morning. —KG, GMA News