‘Abonado pa’: Robredo blasts claims that kakampinks in her rallies were paid P1,000 each (Sabong News)

Presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday, March 21, took to task a fake news peddler who alleged that her volunteers and supporters, who call themselves kakampinks, were paid P1,000 to attend campaign rallies. The Vice President held the Pasiglaban People’s Rally on Sunday, March 20, wherein supporters filled the stretch of Emerald Avenue in Pasig City. Local police said the crowd swell to more than 90,000, but organizers estimated it at 140,000. “People lined up for so many hours, braving the heat and the crowds. Abonado pa ang karamihan sa kanila (Many of them spent their own money),” Robredo said in a Facebook post, responding to allegations that the supporters were paid to attend the rally. “Huwag natin hayaan yurakan ang ating dignidad ng mga kasinungalingan. Nang red tag pa (Let us not allow them to trample on our dignity with lies. They also red-tagged). Please help us report,” she added. The lone female presidential candidate for this year’s elections posted a screenshot of the post by Ronnie Lamboso Morgan, who said that “one of my friends (sic) sister who attended the kakamfeynk rally receiver 1000 pesos.” He posted a screenshot of the “conversation” with the said friend who also forwarded a photo of a P1,000 bill inside a plastic bag with pink mask. Attached to the bag is a small paper with the words “Leni Kiko 2022.” The conversation was dated March 11, though Robredo’s latest rally happened on Sunday, March 20, and the post only went viral today, March 21. Morgan also hinted that the funding came from “NPA,” or New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). This is not the first time that Robredo’s critics red-tagged her supporters or alleged that they were paid to attend her rallies. Government officials such as Senator Panfilo Lacson and Cavite Rep. Boying Remulla also allegedly red-tagged the Robredo team after her successful rally in Cavite that drew 47,000 people, a number reported by her campaign but also belied by Remulla. Lacson has denied engaging in red-tagging. Lacson and Remulla are both from Cavite, with the latter’s brother, Gov. Jonvic Remulla, promising former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 800,000 votes this coming elections. Cavite, the second most vote-rich province in the country, has over two million registered voters.