MANILA, Philippines — Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo on Saturday denied social media claims that she had been absent from her office and secretly traveling to Manila, calling the post “fake news” and detailing her schedule to refute the allegations.
Robredo responded through a Facebook post after reposting a now-deleted post from an account using the name “Niko Perez,” which claimed she was not in Naga despite reports that she had been working at City Hall.
The former vice president said the account had been active since last year’s mayoral campaign and alleged that a local politician was funding its activities.
Robredo said she was at her office from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Wednesday before leaving for the airport to attend a Mayors League meeting in Cebu, where she was scheduled to be appointed adviser for intergovernmental affairs. She said her flight was canceled, prompting her to return to City Hall after lunch and remain there for the rest of the day. She added that she also worked in her office throughout Thursday.
She said she traveled by bus to Manila on Thursday evening to attend scheduled meetings with the Quezon City government and the Commission on Elections on Friday.
Robredo said she travels to Manila about once a month, usually on Thursdays or Fridays, to attend official meetings and spend time with her daughters before returning to Naga on Sundays. She added that she regularly posts updates about her activities on social media.
The mayor also said her trips to Manila have become more frequent because of meetings called by national government agencies and invitations to weddings of Naga residents.
Robredo denied using city funds for her travels, saying neither official nor personal trips are charged to the Naga City government.
“We are preparing a report to respond to a request to post the travel expenses of all elected city officials,” she said.
She added that when she does not travel by bus, she uses a 2012 Hyundai Tucson owned by her daughter Aika and pays for fuel expenses herself.
