Presidential aspirant Leni Robredo on Friday powered through a live presidential forum to present her plans for the country, notwithstanding the program's conflict with a prior commitment and later on, poor internet connectivity that disrupted her performance.
Squaring off with her rivals for the first time in a live forum hosted by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, the vice president showed up via Zoom after pushing her morning flight to after the event and borrowing an office near the airport, where internet connection was unstable.
Robredo was the top trending topic on Twitter as of 11:30 a.m., as her supporters expressed their frustrations over her connectivity issues.
"Nanghiram kami ng opisina malapit sa airport kung saan puwede kami maki Zoom para maka attend ng KBP Presidential Candidates Forum. Nakaschedule sana kaming lumipad ngayong umaga para balikan ang Odette-affected areas, pero pinush back namin ng lunchtime to make time for this," Robredo said on Twitter prior to the event.
As soon as the forum wrapped, Robredo on Facebook apologized to supporters and blamed herself for the difficulties that came with her makeshift setup, saying that it was her who insisted on not cancelling her other engagements despite her team's convincing.
"Our team tried hard to convince me to cancel all other engagements today, pero pinilit ko pa din hanapan ng paraan to fulfill all our commitments, dahil alam kong naghihintay rin yung mga communities na pupuntahan namin para maihatid 'yung tulong na pabahay bago magstart ang campaign period. Again, our apologies. Maraming lessons learned," Robredo said, promising to do better.
Robredo added that in order to adjust to her internet problems, she kept connected to the forum via landline while still being in the teleconference.
ALSO READ: Robredo Faces Critic for Interview on Marcos, Ukraine, 'Street Fighter' Memes
The Vice President's spokesperson, Barry Gutierrez, earlier pointed blame to himself over the day's mishaps and promised to make sure it wouldn't happen again in the future.
"I feel your pain, guys. We all want to see VP Leni at her best and internet issues get in the way of that. That she was in a borrowed office is no excuse, and if you need someone to blame, blame me. That hate will be motivation to make sure this won't happen again. #LabanLeni2022," Gutierrez tweeted.
Apart from Robredo, the KBP Presidential Candidates Forum tested the platforms and raised key issues concerning the presidential candidates in attendance, namely Senator Panfilo Lacson, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Sen. Manny Pacquiao, and Labor Leader Leody De Guzman.
Late dictator son Ferdand Marcos, Jr., who is leading the surveys, declined to attend the forum, citing conflict in schedule.
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