A press conference in defense of electoral integrity and as karma

THERE is no benefit for the presidential candidacies of Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso, Sen. Panfilo Lacson and former national security adviser Norberto Gonzales to hold a press conference for the sole purpose of openly attacking Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo. But they also had nothing to lose. With single-digit results in the voter preference surveys, it is understandable that they would take desperate measures to pump some blood and optics into their campaigns.

However, this is not just about optics, or of creating drama for the sake of it. There was a reason. Sadly, this has been lost somewhere as people spin the event using convenient and partisan lenses. The storyline being peddled by Robredo partisans is that the press conference had no rational basis, and was nothing but three men attacking a woman, a misogynist offensive that backfired terribly.