Robredo urges pause in politicking after Duterte rant vs unnamed mayor
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 7:08 p.m.) — Vice President Leni Robredo called for a “timeout” on politicking and urged focus on the spike in COVID-19 cases following President Rodrigo Duterte’s tirades against an unnamed mayor.
In a statement on Wednesday, Robredo said that the current health crisis requires an “all-hands-on-deck approach,” stressing that politics must be set aside to address the needs of the people.
"Sa panahong ito, wala tayong mapapala sa parinigan at bangayan (In these times, we won’t get anything from throwing shade and fighting)," she said.
Puno ang ospital, ang daming nagkakasakit, ang dami uling nagigipit dahil ‘di makapagtrabaho. Hindi magagamot ng awayan ang COVID patients. Hindi ‘yan ang susi para maging mas efficient ang pagbibigay ng ayuda, bakuna, at iba pang tulong sa ating mga kababayan,” she said.
(Hospitals are full, a lot of people are getting sick, many are having a hard time because they can’t work. Fighting won’t heal COVID patients. That’s not the key to be more efficient in giving aid, vaccines and other help for our countrymen.)
The vice president added, “All-in dapat tayo sa pagtugon sa krisis na ito. All eyes on the surge. Saka na kayo mag-ungkatan ng past.”
(We should be all-in in responding to this crisis. All eyes on the surge. Let’s talk about the past some other time.)
Malacañang in response accused Robredo of "politicking" while also saying it is open constructive criticisms that do not "devalue" the government's efforts.
"While the president has acknowledged the vice president’s initiatives in the fight against coronavirus, Mrs. Robredo has made it a weekly media habit to nitpick the Executive’s COVID-19 response," presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.
Roque, nevertheless, agreed with Robredo's statement that all eyes should be on the COVID-19 surge and that energies must be focused on helping one another.
Duterte's side comments at COVID-19 meeting
In a meeting with Cabinet members on the COVID-19 pandemic that aired Monday night, Duterte went on a rant against an unnamed mayor over "disorder" at their city’s vaccination sites and their past sexy photos.
The president also said that he will not allow this city to distribute cash aid because “they cannot organize.”
While he did not name names, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno is known to be the only Metro Manila mayor who had taken suggestive photos in the past as part of his career in showbiz.
Even if this is a known fact, interior department spokesperson Jonathan Malaya told Philstar.com that they cannot act on Duterte’s remarks until there is a “specific and clear instruction” coming from Malacañang.
Malacañang, however, refused to identify Moreno as the subject of Duterte’s late night tirade.
Robredo and Moreno previously worked together for the Vaccine Express project in Manila which inoculated essential workers from the city.
They have been floated as potential presidential and vice presidential candidates, although both insist on focusing on the coronavirus pandemic first.
Moreno trails directly behind Duterte and his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, in surveys for potential presidential and vice presidential candidates.
The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives said in a statement that Duterte must be criticizing Moreno because he is perceived to be a threat to the “Duterte dynasty” in the 2022 elections. — with a report by The STAR/Alexis Romero
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