The tabloid Pinoy Exposé wrongly claimed in an article on its website that Vice President Leni Robredo included Neri Colmenares, a candidate of the Makabayan coalition for the Senate, in her senatorial slate in exchange for the coalition’s endorsement of her presidential bid.
STATEMENT
In an article published on Feb. 4, Pinoy Exposé claimed that Robredo “entered into an ‘alliance’ with CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines) front groups” — citing without evidence the Makabayan bloc — to “boost her candidacy.”
It added:
“Makabayan has formally endorsed Robredo’s candidacy last January 28, 2022, with Robredo agreeing to accept Neri Colmenares, former Makabayan congressman and a perennial loser in the Senate race, as one of her candidates for the Senate.”
Source: Pinoy Exposé, Robredo Sets ‘One Condition’ In SMNI Presidential Debate: ‘No Usec. Badoy, Please’, Feb. 4, 2022 (archive)
FACT
While the Makabayan coalition has endorsed Robredo’s candidacy for president, it was not in exchange for including Colmenares in her lineup for the Senate.
Robredo and her running mate, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, completed their final list of senatorial bets in late October 2021. It includes former House representative Teddy Baguilat, detained Sen. Leila De Lima, lawyer Alex Lacson, labor leader Sonny Matula, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, and former senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV. To complete the lineup, they adopted as guest-candidates Sens. Richard Gordon, Joel Villanueva, and Migz Zubiri; former vice president Jejomar Binay; and former senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero.
Robredo initially announced on Oct. 15, 2021 the tandem’s first 11 picks (excluding Matula) and told reporters that Colmenares was among those they were considering for the twelfth spot in the lineup. She announced seven days later that Matula had been chosen over the other contenders.
Despite the non-inclusion of Colmenares in the ticket, Makabayan, a political coalition of eight progressive groups such as Bayan Muna, still endorsed the tandem of Robredo and Pangilinan on Jan. 29.
As of Feb. 16, it is only through the endorsement of 1Sambayan, a coalition of pro-democracy groups endorsing a single slate of candidates for the May 9 polls, that Robredo and Colmenares appear in the same roster. Colmenares is one of eight senatorial candidates endorsed by the coalition, while Robredo is its presidential bet.
Colmenares is vying for a Senate seat for the third time after losing in the 2016 and 2019 elections. He was a Bayan Muna party-list representative in the House of Representatives from 2009 to 2016.
According to its website, Pinoy Exposé is a Manila-based tabloid run by Paul Gutierrez, president of the National Press Club, columnist/commentator Herman Tiu Laurel, and layout artist Francis Deocaris.
