Robredo camp slams 'ridiculous, inappropriate' call to probe COVID-19 efforts
MANILA, Philippines — Providing help to frontliners and government institution as they face the growing threat of the new coronavirus is the “right and responsible” thing to do, the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo stressed as it slammed the call of an anti-corruption office to investigate her.
Lawyer Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesperson, described Thursday the statement of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission “ridiculous, so inappropriate, so out of touch.”
PACC Commissioner Manuelito Luna urged the National Bureau of Investigation to probe Robredo “for illegal solicitations, actions that compete with, or calculated to undermine” government’s efforts to address the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
He argued that Robredo should not compete with the efforts of different agencies such as the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Office of Civil Defense because there are already allotted funds for relief assistance.
“Anyone who insists that bringing much needed assistance to hospitals, health workers and poor Filipinos is somehow a “competition” has absolutely no understanding of the gravity of the crisis we are all facing,” Gutierrez said.
Her spokesperson said that it is not the best time to talk about investigations, particularly of those who have done their best to help others, as the world faces the “most challenging” crisis since World War II.
“I leave it to the PACC, and the rest of national government leadership, to answer this question for themselves,” he said.
Even Sen. Panilo Lacson criticized PACC’s statement.
“PACC’s COVID-19 motto: “Lahat ng tutulong, kukulong,” he said on Twitter.
The new virus has so far infected 2,311 people in the Philippines in an unprecedented health crisis overwhelming healthcare facilities across the archipelago and upending the lives of Filipinos ordered to stay home under lockdowns.
Robredo’s efforts
In a matter of weeks, Robredo’s office has raised over P40 million for COVID-19 frontliners.
Her office procured protective gear for healthcare workers in over 100 healthcare facilities nationwide, organized free transport services, provided food to personnel manning checkpoint and set up dormitories for frontliners. The office also delivered extraction kits to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine
“She has done all this without requesting additional public funds or seeking expanded powers. She did this because she saw a need, and she took action to meet it. She did this because it was the right and responsible thing to do,” Gutierrez said.
“I am certain that all these groups that have come together to help, the OVP included, would only be too thrilled if national government agencies came in with their larger budgets and bigger organizations to provide all the equipment and supplies that these institutions need,” Gutierrez said, adding the vice president will continue to do all she can to help.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday announced a P200-billion aid package for low-income households and other sectors hit by the strict quarantine measures intended to contain the spread of the contagion. But the government has yet to disburse cash aid for poor families.
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