A 2016 Facebook post featuring a quote from an official of the Presidential Communications went viral anew for showing support to Vice President Leni Robredo before being part of the administration.
Robredo on Thursday declared her intention to run as a president in the 2022 elections in what she said was the result of last-minute discernment.
Opposition coalition 1Sambayan previously endorsed her for the top government position, but Robredo decided to run as an independent candidate instead.
Following her candidacy announcement, various brands and businesses painted their social media pages in pink, one of the hues of her campaign.
Some Filipinos then recalled the “Women for Leni” campaign in the 2016 elections which featured Lorraine Badoy, who is now working as an undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office.
Badoy in the March 2016 post was featured as one of Robredo’s supporters labeled as a “writer, doctor, human rights advocate.”
Her testimony indicated that she had been a follower of Robredo before entering public service that same year. It reads:
“Long before she got into politics, Leni fought for the rights of the poor and the downtrodden by giving them free legal aid for years. Quietly. She didn’t need to be paid nor did she need public applause to do what was right and fair for the poor.”
“That, to me, speaks volumes about her. A true public servant. Someone who has never stolen, never betrayed the public she swore to serve. Someone who values her simple life—even as she gets catapulted to our country’s top posts.”
“As Congresswoman, she has crafted laws that have made the lives of millions of Filipinos better, safer, more dignified. I trust her to take our country to higher ground as Vice President.”
The “Women for Leni” campaign was a movement that supported Robredo, the lone female vice-presidential bet, for the 2016 elections. It’s also a community that has shared advocacies with her in terms of women’s economic empowerment and women’s rights.
Back then, it gathered women from various sectors to help Robredo in her campaign.
ALSO READ: Change of heart: Robredo critic Lorraine Badoy once supported the vice president
The post featuring Badoy gained traction anew after Robredo declared her intention to join the 2022 presidential race.
“Medyo fresh pa siya nung hindi pa siya DDS (Diehard Duterte Supporter),” wrote another online user with a similar emoji.
“Si Lorraine Badoy noong hindi pa niya isinanla ang kaluluwa sa demonyo,” a different Filipino likewise commented.
“Lorraine Marie T. Badoy, what happened to you, doktora. From human rights advocate to someone na balimbing na lang. Nakakahiya. Parang female version ni Roque,” another Facebook user wrote, referencing President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesperson.
Badoy is now more known for red-tagging groups, individuals and the Makabayan bloc in Congress.
She is a spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict which has falsely associated personalities with the communist movement such as Angel Locsin and Catriona Gray.
