Cherry Pie Picache is more than a name in showbiz. Many years ago, she was the actress who earned praises for the radical love she showed in forgiving the killer of her mother. Now, she is the one who looks up to someone else’s bravery — that of Vice President Leni Robredo whose courage is for everybody to admire, granted that she is at the receiving end of persecution, profanity and fake news for over five years now.

In a video message, Picache said, “Mayroon nga akong kilala, limang taon siniraan, binastos, winalanghiya, pero araw-araw pinili niya pa rin na gawin ang tama, iyong manindigan, mag-alaga na may pagkalinga at nang buong katapatan.”

“Kaya may matapang sa akin. Si Leni Robredo iyon,” she added. “Katapangan iyong piliin ang paninindigan, iyong pagsilbihan ang mga tao kahit sinaktan, iyong ipaglaban ang katotohanan kahit na alam mong mas makapangyarihan sa iyo ang babanggain mo.”

For Picache, kindness is the highest form of bravery and she personally witnessed it in Robredo as she tirelessly serves the Filipino people through her various plans and programs.

“Kabutihan ang pinakamataas na uri ng katapangan. At hindi madali iyon, ha? Pero biyaya iyon para maisabuhay mo ito. Lahat iyon, nakita ko at patuloy na ipinapakita sa ating lahat ni Leni Robredo,” she pointed out.

As for fellow actress Nikki Valdez, for her part, talked about “women power” in her video message amid claims that Robredo is not strong enough to lead the country.

“Pero kasi hindi totoo iyan. Iba, iba ang lakas ng kababaihan. Hindi ako naniniwala na kahinaan ang pagiging babae. Kasi alam niyo kung ano ang mas matibay sa kamay na bakal, ginintuang puso at busilak na kalooban,” Valdez emphasized.

“Kaya kapag babae, lalo na kung isang mabuting ina ang mamumuno sa ating bayan, malayo ang ating mararating. Isang babaeng tapat, mahusay at hindi nagpapatinag sa anumang paninira at kasinungalingan,” she added.

If her mother was alive, Picache said she’s sure that they will choose only one presidential candidate in the 2022 election.

“Iyong pinakamatapang na ina at lider na kilala ko. Si Leni Robredo,” she ended. 

As testament of Robredo’s good governance and transparency, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) has received the highest audit rating by the Commission on Audit (COA) for three straight years when it comes to the utilization of public funds.

Despite the OVP’s meager budget, Robredo has been able to deliver needed assistance to our countrymen during disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, where she launched various initiatives such as Bayanihan E-Konsulta, Vaccine Express, free COVID-19 testing, free rides for frontliners, livelihood programs and relief operations for those heavily affected by the pandemic.