Robredo lauds AFP for independence, help during pandemic
MANILA, Philippines — Amid criticisms over her supposed support for the government's controversial anti-insurgency task force, Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday hailed the Armed Forces of the Philippines for, according to her, preserving its independence as an institution.
This comes after Robredo held a courtesy visit to the AFP's national headquarters where she met with top military officials to discuss defense issues in the Philippines.
Speaking in her weekly radio show aired over dzXL Sunday morning, the Vice President said that the military played a key role in her office's pandemic response initiatives over the coronavirus-induced community quarantines.
"Personally, I’m very appreciative of the AFP. Because even if it is not perfect, until now, it maintains its independence as an institution. It doesn't let itself be used as an instrument," she said in mixed Filipino and English.
"We are always thankful that amid the pandemic, our partnership with the AFP is very strong. We were able to distribute many PPE sets and medical supplies all over the Philippines largely with their help."
Robredo drew flak earlier this weekend after she said that she supported the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict's mandate. In earlier statements, she had expressed support for the idea of abolishing the red-tagging task force.
According to a Rappler report, her spokesperson has clarified that Robredo still wants the controversial task force abolished.
RELATED: Task force: Bill to protect human rights defenders unnecessary, contrary to law
Over the coronavirus pandemic, the NTF-ELCAC and other officials have made claims linking celebrities, academics, and journalists to the Communist Party of the Philippines without basis.
"It is part of my job as vice president that the office apprises what your threats are, what those I need to know, what they are doing. The information is confidential, [but] ot is important that we know where we are as far as many things are concerned," she said Sunday.
Robredo herself has been accused of being a communist sympathizer by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte.
But the vice president over the weekend said that it was just "careless statements" by some members of the Duterte-backed task force that put the entire body in a bad light.
"I’ve been on the receiving end of unfair accusations. I’ve been red-tagged and the red-tagging has been baseless. I am one with you in stopping insurgency by addressing the core of these problems, and the peripheral issues surrounding it," Robredo said earlier.
RELATED: Labeling dissent as rebellion 'institutionalized, normalized' in Philippines — UN report
The Alliance of Labor Leaders for Leni on Saturday urged Robredo to "reconsider her position" on the NTF-ELCAC, which, they said, "has embarked on a relentless spree of red-tagging, harassment and profiling of progressive organizations that fight for the legitimate grievances of many Filipinos."
The group stressed that while they support Robredo, "we remain firm on our call for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC."
LILAK (Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights) meanwhile called Robredo's recent statement "disappointing and troubling."
"Over the years, indigenous women and men, who have been actively involved in the assertion of their rights to land, in campaigns against the encroachment in their domains such as mining and dams, have been accused of being part of the New People’s Army," the group said, adding that these "accusations and pronouncements have justified extrajudicial killings of IPs."
- Latest
- Trending
