MANILA, Philippines — Following President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement that he would be transferring “law enforcement powers” to Vice President Leni Robredo, the latter’s camp on Friday said it might be time for the president to take a rest on Undas.
“[I]t is unfortunate that on the eve of one of our most holy days, a time for family and for prayer, the president is launching yet another tirade against VP Leni,” Office of the Vice President spokesperson Barry Gutierrez said in a statement.
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“Siguro, pagod lang talaga at masama ang pakiramdam. Makapagpahinga sana siya ngayong Undas.”
(Maybe he’s just tired and feeling unwell. He needs to rest peacefully this Undas.)
Malacañang on Tuesday said it would be appropriate for Robredo to accept the president’s “drug czar” offer as a chance to prove her worth as head of the opposition.
“The ball is in her court. If I were in her place, I would accept it,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.
However, while the term "drug czar" is sometimes used to refer to the chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the position does not exist as any official rank or title in the government.
Robredo’s spokesperson regardless said that the vice president is always ready to help as long as the president respectfully requests for assistance through proper channels and not through text or the media.
“What she will not stand for is being made a scapegoat for all the shortcomings of the 'drug war' for the past three and a half years,” Gutierrez said.
“This admin made the impossible promise to end crime and drugs in six months, and if they are now being called to account for their failure to deliver, they should not blame VP Leni for it.”
Robredo on Monday said that she can't stay neutral amid controversies hounding the administration's drug war.
“I cannot just sit back and look the other way. Kapag may nakikita akong mali, ang pakiramdam ko obligasyon kong i-verbalize ang pakiramdam ko para bigyan ng boses kahit gaano pa kakaunti kami,” the vice president said in an interview over ANC's "Headstart."
(If I see wrongdoing, it is my obligation to verbalize what I feel and speak out no matter how short our numbers.)
Gutierrez also said that Robredo has cooperated with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and other agencies to suggest how the administration can improve efforts against illegal drugs.
“Her inputs were not acted on, and the admin excluded her from further discussions soon after.”
The vice president, formerly chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, also resigned from her post in December 2016 after being told by the Palace to “desist from attending all Cabinet meetings.”