Robredo on Duterte comments: Top officials should be on good terms
March 22, 2018 | 5:55pm
Vice President Leni Robredo and President Rodrigo Duterte exchanged pleasantries during the commencement exercises of Philippine National Police Academy's Maragtas Class of 2018, held at Camp General Mariano N. Castañeda in Silang, Cavite, on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. Office of the Vice President
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo said Thursday that President Rodrigo Duterte was just kidding when he said that he was enjoying seeing the country's second highest official in public events, a sign that their frosty relations may be warming up.
Duterte said on Wednesday that he was enjoying seeing Robredo in public events in his speech at the graduate rites of the Philippine National Police Academy, the third public engagement that both attended in the past days.
The president and the vice president attended the graduation ceremony at the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City Sunday and the anniversary celebration of the Philippine Army in Taguig City Tuesday.
"Vice President Maria Leonor 'Leni' Robredo, this is the third time that I have greeted you, my lady," the president said during PNPA’s graduation ceremony.
He also commented that if Robredo would become the country's next leader Filipinos. would have a "beautiful and young" chief executive.
The vice president on Thursday said that Duterte was probably just joking and stressed that it would be better if the two of them have a good relationship.
"I think everybody would like to see that the president and vice president in good terms, which should always be the case," she said in Filipino.
The vice president, the highest elected official in the erstwhile ruling Liberal Party, said that being on good terms did not mean that one official would subscribe to the beliefs of another. She underscored the need for officials to respect one another's beliefs and look for areas where they could agree and cooperate.
The two officials, who belong to different but not necessarily rival political parties, have had a rocky relationship during the first few months of the firebrand leader's administration.
After hesitating to appoint Robredo to a post in his Cabinet, Duterte named her Housing chief.
However, several months later, Duterte told Robredo to cease attending Cabinet meetings, which prompted the vice president to resign from her position.
Duterte said that he made the decision following Robredo's opposition to some of his decisions such as allowing the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the heroes' cemetery in Taguig City, a sensitive issue especially among the late strongman's rights abuse victims.
The election of a president and a vice president from different political parties is a unique feature of Philippine elections, unlike in other countries where the two highest officials come from the same party.
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