A throng of supporters welcomed the arrival of Vice President Leni Robredo and her daughters Aika, Tricia, and Jillian at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on Sunday, just a week after the Philippine elections took place.
Although the results of the election have not yet been made official, former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. appears to have won the presidency, with Robredo coming in second after a hard fought campaign that saw the power of the Marcos family’ formidable policial machinery face off agains the largely grassroots, people-powered campaign by the VP.
Crowds cheered as Robredo and her family — who flew in economy class via Korean Airlines and declined any special treatment — strolled into the arrivals hall.
The Robredos are in New York City to attend the graduation ceremony of the vice president’s youngest daughter, Jillian, from New York University, where Taylor Swift is scheduled to be the graduation’s guest speaker.
READ: On Twitter, Leni Robredo supporters try to make a meeting with Taylor Swift happen
Jillian received a scholarship to attend NYU’s Biomolecular Science Program within the Tandon School of Engineering in 2018.
A video posted on Twitter shows the vice president amusingly attempting to shush her boisterous supporters at the New York City airport.
Another video posted by DZMM Teleradyo also shows Robredo and her daughters gamely posing for a few selfies with supporters.
On Saturday, Instagram stories from Robredo’s personal accounts made the rounds showing the vice president documenting her family’s trip to New York — including Jillian solving math problems on the flight and waiting around during their five-hour layover.
The vice president also showed her youngest solving math problems on the flight, while she was watching the rom-com film Marry Me, adding “It’s nice to travel without work to do and without speeches to edit.”
Robredo’s latest Instagram story also shows her ironing her daughter’s graduation gown as “the first order of this trip.”
Hours before their flight, Robredo took to Facebook to share that she and her daughters would be “gone for a few days to just spend time with family and take a well deserved rest before all of us restart the lives we have put on hold.”
