黑料社

NAGA CITY, CAMARINES SUR, Philippines 鈥� There鈥檚 nothing like a Filipino fiesta to get political tongues wagging.

Following Vice President Sara Duterte鈥檚 visit on Friday, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. and Sen. Bong Revilla on Saturday also visited former Vice President Leni Robredo at her home in Naga City, Camarines Sur.

Explaining their visit, Robredo told reporters that she was only following the tradition of her late husband, Jesse Robredo, who welcomed people visiting Naga City to pay homage to 鈥淚na鈥� (mother). The former vice president was referring to what she called the 鈥減olitically neutral鈥� annual feast of Our Lady of Pe帽afrancia which culminated on Saturday.

READ: VP Sara Duterte visited Leni Robredo in Naga, Gutierrez confirms

Robredo鈥檚 husband was Naga mayor for almost two decades since 1988 before serving President Benigno Aquino III as his interior secretary. Jesse Robredo died in 2012 and Aquino, in 2021.

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鈥淲henever it鈥檚 Pe帽afrancia, there鈥檚 no political color, no party, it鈥檚 politically neutral. Everyone who wants to come see Ina are very much welcome here,鈥� Robredo said.

Still the VIP visits made the former vice president a trending topic on social media and online political punditry on Saturday.

Abalos and Revilla arrived separately, ahead of the procession for the patroness of the Bicol region.

It was the last day of the weeklong feast, which would see the image of the Virgin returned to her shrine following the Naga River route.

Abalos, who is reportedly planning to run for senator in next year鈥檚 midterm elections, also said there was no politics in his visit as he wanted to pay homage to Ina.

鈥楥asual meeting鈥�

Revilla said his visit was part of his longtime devotion to Ina which began with his mother.

Regarding Duterte鈥檚 visit, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) issued a statement late on Friday saying that she was 鈥渆xcited to experience her first-ever Pe帽afrancia fiesta.鈥�

The OVP said Duterte was 鈥渋nvited by a Bicolano friend to attend the centennial anniversary Mass of the Canonical Coronation of Our Lady of Pe帽afrancia on Sept. 20,鈥� although she was no longer in Naga City by that day.

鈥淭he same friend also arranged a casual meeting with former Vice President Leni Robredo,鈥� the OVP said.

It added that 鈥渄uring her stay in Naga, Vice President Duterte visited several prominent Bicol personalities and heard [M]ass with ordinary Bicolanos.鈥� Duterte 鈥渘either looked desperate nor distressed,鈥� the statement said, apparently referring to comments on social media about her visit to her predecessor.

In 2015, Robredo, then a congresswoman and vice presidential candidate of the Liberal Party, visited Duterte in Davao City and the two even had lunch at a carinderia.

鈥極ld friends鈥�

Duterte was then planning to run for mayor since his father Rodrigo, the incumbent mayor, was already being persuaded by his supporters to run for president.

The two women said they didn鈥檛 talk about politics and were simply catching up with each other as 鈥渙ld friends.鈥�

Robredo later became critical of President Duterte and his daughter, in turn, called her a 鈥渇ake VP,鈥� referring to the electoral protests filed by Robredo鈥檚 vice presidential rival, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Marcos and Duterte would thereafter form an alliance that helped secure their victory in the 2022 presidential and vice presidential contests. But the two have since become estranged in just two years of their alliance.

鈥楴ot political鈥�

Robredo on Friday also issued a statement about her successor鈥檚 visit.

鈥淲hile she was in Naga City for the Pe帽afrancia Festival, VP Sara Duterte took the opportunity to visit me at my home,鈥� she simply said.

Lawyer Barry Gutierrez, Robredo鈥檚 former spokesperson in the Office of the Vice President, said earlier that her hourlong meeting with Duterte was 鈥減ersonal and not political.鈥�