'I could be next' – Leni

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines  —  The possibility of being the next target for ouster is not remote for Vice President Leni Robredo.

Such scenario is always possible, according to Robredo, who led on Wednesday the launching of the Istorya ng Pagasa Negros Occidental at the St. John Mary Vianney Hall at the Bishop’s House here as she recalled the filing of impeachment complaints against her that did not prosper.

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is now the subject of an impeachment process at the House of Representatives and a quo warranto petition before the Supreme Court, which will reportedly decide on the case today.

There have been moves to oust Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales but these were also not successful. The ombudsman is retiring from office in July.

Robredo is facing an electoral protest filed by her rival in the 2016 polls, former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and the Presidential Electoral Tribunal has begun a manual recount. Robredo filed a counter-protest.

Urging women leaders not to be discouraged by challenges, Robredo said “we should not allow such moves to stop us from continuing what we are doing and fighting for.”

“Because if we are going to be afraid, we can’t do anything. On my part, this is clear: If something needs our support, we will support it, but if we see that there is something wrong, we will not hesitate to make our voice heard,” Robredo said in Filipino, apparently referring to the Duterte administration’s policies.

Robredo is considered the leader of the opposition having come from a party different from Duterte’s in the 2016 elections.

Asked about her expectations on the possible ruling on the quo waranto case filed against Sereno, Robredo said it is always a 50-50 chance.

Robredo said she is worried that the granting of the petition will alter the normal process to remove impeachable officials such as the president, vice president, heads of the constitutional commissions, members of the Supreme Court and the ombudsman, which is through impeachment by Congress.

If the quo warranto will be granted, Robredo said it might set a precedent and make impeachable officials subjects of quo warranto cases.

A quo warranto is a legal procedure used to challenge an individual’s right to or authority over the position he or she holds.

As to the drop of her trust ratings by eight points, Robredo said it always keeps pace with the ratings of President Duterte, which likewise declined based on latest surveys.

She said the changes in ratings are expected until their terms’ end.

Robredo, also speaking at the Pasidungog 2018 of the Carlos Hilado Memorial State College in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, stressed the need for greater collaboration in the fight against poverty.

“We cannot simply dismiss poverty as a choice, or as a result of not working hard enough,” Robredo said.

Robredo said she is pleased that the National Economic and Development Authority has laid out a long-term vision for “concretizing what our people define as a better life for the Filipino family.”

But such vision can never be fulfilled by the strength of just one leader, she said.

“It requires all of us to go beyond self-ambition, because having all hands on board should be the order of the day and every one of us should find it in ourselves to contribute to the bigger fight – our nation’s fight against poverty,” Robredo said.