MANILA, Philippines — Presidential candidate and Vice President Leni Robredo is not worried over the outcome of the elections.

Back in her home region of Bicol yesterday, Robredo expressed gratitude to supporters for turning the campaign into a crusade.

“I am not worried (about Monday’s polls) because I did everything… My commitment has always been to finish this and do everything that I can,’” she said in Filipino during an interview with reporters in Sorsogon City.

“What is happening now is so much more than we expected at the start of the campaign. We did not expect that it will not just be a simple campaign, but a crusade. I think that is the biggest blessing,” she said, referring to the thousands who showed up in her grand rallies.

Robredo urged supporters experiencing anxiety to trust that the results will be favorable, noting that all of them have done their best to rally support for her campaign, which ends tonight.

“Our lesson in life is that we will fight to the best of our ability, but in a right way. We will do everything, leaving no stones unturned,” she said.

“We will not do the wrong things that others are doing. That is the most important. What comes next, we leave it up to God,” she added.

From Sorsogon City, Robredo held a grand rally in Legazpi, Albay before returning to her hometown Naga City, where her late husband Jesse Robredo served as mayor.

The Vice President started the campaign last Feb. 8 in her home region and will end it on Saturday in Makati City.

Fake news

During the interview, Robredo lamented how her rival, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., continues to spread false claims regarding the results of the 2016 vice presidential race.

“I have defeated him multiple times in the Supreme Court (SC). The decision was unanimous: 15-0. But his narrative up to this point is that he was cheated,” she said.

“It seems that there is no redemption. Liar from the beginning until the very end. It is unfortunate for Filipinos who fall for it,” she added.

Marcos earlier claimed victory in the upcoming elections, but warned supporters to be vigilant to prevent him from being cheated again.

The SC, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has dismissed his electoral protest in the vice presidential race, ruling that there was no cheating, contrary to his claim.

Cyberlibel over Joma article

In another development, Robredo’s spokesman Barry Gutierrez has filed a cyberlibel complaint over the publication of a news report claiming that he has corresponded with Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison in relation to the upcoming elections.

Gutierrez said the news report – published in People’s Journal, People’s Journal Tonight and Journal News Online – violated the Cybercrime Prevention Act in relation to the libel provision under the Revised Penal Code.

Named respondents were Lee Ann Ducusin, author of the article; Augusto Villanueva, editor-in-chief of People’s Journal and People’s Journal Tonight; Manuel Ces and Dennis Fetalino, managing editor and associate editor of People’s Journal, respectively; and Ma. Teresa Lardizabal and Reginald Velasco, managing editor and editorial consultant of People’s Journal Tonight.

Gutierrez also filed a complaint against PJI Web News Publishing, the owner and publisher of journalnews.com.ph, and Philippine Journalists Inc., the publishing corporation of the Journal Group.

The complaint stemmed from the news article published in the two newspapers and website claiming that Sison has admitted to being an adviser of Robredo’s presidential campaign.

The report alleged that Gutierrez had several conversations with the CPP founder to discuss campaign strategy, including initiating a media attack against other candidates.

“The foregoing are acts that I categorically and strongly deny for these are brazen falsehoods and are nothing but outright lies and malicious prevarications,” read the 11-page complaint-affidavit filed before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.

“The news article is without due regard for truth, propriety and fairness, whose author and publishers caused the writing and the publication of a scurrilous, malicious, injurious, false, defamatory and libelous article in the Journal News Online with the intention of attacking my person, character and honor, exposing myself to public ridicule, contempt and hatred,” it added.

Earlier, Sison denied the statement attributed to him in the news article.

Gutierrez said it was deceitful to paint that he and Robredo are working together with Sison, noting that the respondents did not even take the time and effort to verify the claims.

He said the respondents cannot excuse the act on the pretext that the report was a matter of public interest, noting that good faith was clearly lacking as they failed to substantiate or even attempt to verify the story before publication.

Gutierrez said his lawyers are also considering the possibility of filing charges against others who have been spreading malicious claims against him.

Asked about Robredo’s earlier position to decriminalize libel as it is being used to curtail freedom of expression, Gutierrez said their stand on the matter has not changed and that she will still push for amendments to the anti-cybercrime law if elected president.