Leni Robredo to Duterte: 'Let’s just work'

MANILA, Philippines — The country has so many problems, let’s just work.

That was Vice President Leni Robredo’s response to the statements made by President Duterte against her. 

Speaking to reporters in Naga City yesterday, Robredo brushed aside Duterte’s claim that her hometown is a hotbed of illegal drugs. 

She also dismissed remarks by the President saying she is not capable of running the country should she succeed him as Chief Executive. 

“Personally, I don’t want to react. I don’t want to respond to those statements because they do not help,” she said in Filipino. 

“Our country has a lot of problems. Let us just try to fix it and avoid politics,” she added. 

Robredo said she and Duterte were both elected to serve until 2022, maintaining that they have an obligation to serve the public until the end of their terms. 

“We are obligated to do our best for the country because that is our mandate,” she said. 

“Instead of wasting time on things that are not true, we should just work,” added the Vice President. 

Duterte earlier said Robredo would not be able to solve the country’s problems should she become president. 

He said he would rather have a military junta or the likes of Sen. Francis Escudero III and former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. lead the country. 

Malacañang yesterday said Duterte might resign if Marcos wins in his electoral protest against Robredo. 

Robredo’s lead counsel Romulo Macalintal said Duterte may have to finish his term as Marcos will not win in his election protest.

Macalintal expressed confidence that they will not lose in the ongoing case. 

“Insofar as we are concerned, President Duterte’s resignation will never happen because Mr. Marcos will never win his electoral protest,” he said. 

Marcos filed an election protest in 2016 after losing to Robredo in the vice presidential race with a slim margin of 263,473 votes. 

He has contested the results in various cities and municipalities and sought the nullification of votes in some provinces where he alleged that massive fraud occurred. 

The recount for Marcos’ selected pilot provinces is ongoing. 

The camp of Robredo has repeatedly maintained that no fraud happened and that she won squarely in the vice presidential race. 

The Vice President urged residents of Naga to unite amid the attacks. – With Rhodina Villanueva