Magsaysay Foundation denies online claims questioning Jesse Robredo's award

The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation has tagged as “erroneous” the claims of an online group that the late Interior Sec. Jesse Robredo received his award in 2000 because lobbying efforts.

Robredo, a long-time mayor of Naga City, won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service in 2000.

He passed away in 2012.

“The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation considers Jesse Robredo a fully deserving and highly respected Ramon Magsaysay laureate,” read a statement issued by the RMAF board of trustees, led by president Carmencita Abella.

In the statement, the RMAF also urged the public to “fact-check anonymous and undocumented claims” about the award “in order to avoid making erroneous and unfair conclusions concerning the Award and/or the Ramon Magsaysay Awardees.”

The clarification was issued a week after an anonymous online group claimed that Robredo got the award “as a result of the PR work and lobbying” of former vice mayor Gabby Bordado, now representative of Camarines Sur’s third district.

“The allegation that Jesse Robredo won the Magsaysay Award because of some person’s lobbying efforts has no basic in facts,” the statement read, adding that Bordado was not involved in the review, deliberation, and selection of awardees.

“To safeguard the integrity of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the guiding principles and practices of RMAF for the past 58 years have not allowed any lobbying, PR, or other similar attempts to influence the annual selection of Ramon Magsaysay Awardees. Any such attempts, whether in the nomination or the selection process, have been quickly and firmly sanctioned,” it added.

Vice President Leni Robredo, Jesse’s widow, also came to her husband’s defense, saying she has “drawn the line” after he was dragged into “fake stories” meant to discredit her.

“Iyong sa akin, parati kong sinasabi noong ako na iyong tinitira, ‘di bale na, kasi kaya kong depensahan ang sarili ko. ‘Di ko lang sinusubukang depensahan kasi lugi ako … ‘yung sinasagot mo ‘di naman sinasabi iyong tunay na identity, kaya bakit ka makikipagsagutan?” Robredo said at the Women Defend Democracy forum in Miriam College on Wednesday.

“Pero ako, do’n din ako nagdo-draw ng line: Iyong asawa ko na ‘di na kayang depensahan ang sarili niya, dahil hindi niyo ako napapatahimik, siya naman iyong bibiktimahin niyo," she added. —NB, GMA News