“Hindi dapat ikahiya ang pusong pagod at sugatan.”
Physician Tricia Robredo, the second eldest daughter of Vice President Leni Robredo, shared a message to her mom’s supporters amid the release of the partial and unofficial counts for the 2022 elections.
Tricia in an Instagram post shared a black-and-white picture of her huddled with her mother, Aika and Jillian.
“Woke up this morning to endless messages asking how we are. It’s honestly quite difficult to look for the right words without the risk of being misinterpreted but here’s an attempt,” she wrote on Tuesday.
“Totoong masakit at mahirap maunawaan but I don’t think it compares to the heartbreak we felt when we lost our dad. Even then, we had to soldier on—dahil maraming umaasa at may mga laban na kailangang ilaban,” Tricia added.
Their father, former interior secretary Jesse Robredo, was serving the Aquino administration for two years when he was killed in a plane crash in August 2012.
“Hindi nawala ang sakit pero mas lalong hindi nawala ang pagmamahal. Kaya nagpatuloy. This crossed my mind throughout the day, as I tried to make sense of what has happened so far and as I navigated my way through a whirlwind of conflicting emotions,” Tricia said in her Instagram post.
“One of my favorite professors from college once told me, ‘if you want to save the world, you have to absorb all its pain. Hindi puwedeng walang aray.’ There’s grief that sows unproductive anger, but there’s a kind that reminds you of how fiercely you cared and that propels you to love and try harder,” she added.
“I see it in Mama. I see it in my sisters. That’s why I’m at peace and that’s how I also know we’ll all be alright. Kaya anuman ang maging resulta at anuman ang mangyari, taas noo. Hindi dapat ikahiya ang isang pusong pagod at sugatan. Ipamalas ang pinagdaanan at ipagmalaki ang lahat ng nasaksikahan,” Tricia further said.
Her mother had a spirited grassroots campaign in which people from different sectors and walks of life participated and contributed to the volunteer-driven movement.
Various brands and business immediately showed their support by sharing pink posts on their social media pages. Creative Filipinos breathed life into walls by creating colorful murals featuring Leni and her running mate, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan.
Numerous songs were also composed and performed for Leni’s presidential campaign.
However, when unofficial results of the elections came in, her rival, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., was seen leading the race.
As of 5:10 p.m., Marcos garnered over 31 million votes, while Leni has over 14.8 million.
The vice president previously called on her supporters to continue fighting for their advocacies and causes after the elections and said their efforts would not be wasted.
“Maging panatag sa inyong ambag: May nasimulan tayong hindi pa kailanman nasasaksihan sa buong kasaysayan ng bansa. Isang kampanyang pinamunuan ng taumbayan. Isang kilusang nabuo hindi lang para baklasin ang luma at bulok na systema, kundi para magpanday ng totoo at positibong pagbabago,” she said.
“Walang nasayang. Hindi tayo nabigo. Pinakamahalaga, hindi pa tayo tapos. Nagsisimula pa lang tayo,” Leni said.
