Vice President Leni Robredo has become the subject of a nasty rumor that she is pregnant with a married congressman’s baby. Blind items alluding to her (such as ‘a high-ranking official from the Liberal Party’) as well as direct blog items ‘reporting’ that she’s supposedly pregnant went viral recently, prompting the media to directly ask the vice president whether the rumors were true.
“Ako kasi ayoko na patulan eh (I would rather not respond to these things),” the vice president said.
She also added, “Ayoko na patulan, parang insulto naman yata iyon. Pagpapakita lang na, saan ba tayo patungo kung may mga ganitong usapin? Kabahagi na ng kuwento na alam naman natin na walang katotohanan at walang basehan, para kasi patulan natin iyon, parang vina-validate lang natin, ‘di ba (I’d rather not respond. These are just insults. This just shows where we are headed if there is talk like this. It’s just a part of the stories that we know have no truth and no basis behind them. For me to respond to that is just like validating it, don’t you think)?”
But where did the rumors come from? Well, several blogs posted the blind items, including Thinking Pinoy. The page shared a photo of a baby (with a mustache and a halo) on top of a pair of yellow slippers and the words “Da Who? Abangan.”
Many followers immediately understood the blind item, especially because the slippers were the symbol of the late Jesse Robredo’s brand of leadership while the yellow color stands for the Liberal Party, the vice president’s political party. As for the halo over the baby, many netizens believe it insinuates that the baby’s father is Quezon City Rep. Boyet Banal, who also happens to sport a mustache.
