Robredo: Speaking out doesn't mean I want to be president

Vice President Leni Robredo said her dissent against certain policies of President Rodrigo Duterte does not mean she is after the presidency.

Robredo issued the remarks when several multi-sectoral groups visited her office on Thursday, expressing their support for her amid threats of impeachment.

“Iyong ating pagpapahayag ng pagkontra sa mga polisiya ng gobyerno, hindi po ‘yun nangangahulugan na gusto nating agawin ang posisyon,” she said.

“Wala po tayong gano’n na pangarap. Ang gusto lamang natin ay mapakinggan ang ating mga boses. Ang gusto lang natin ay pakinggan ang ating mga hinaing para may pagbabagong magawa,” she added.

Robredo has come under fire over her recorded speech for a side session organized in line with the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs annual meeting, where she spoke about irregularities in the administration’s drug war.

It prompted House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, a staunch Duterte ally, to link Robredo not only to the impeachment complaint filed against the president, but to a destabilization plot against the administration.

Duterte has also accused Robredo of being in a hurry to take his position. Despite this, he said he was against moves to impeach her, which Alvarez has threatened.

In the video, Robredo claimed that police officers were involved in an alleged "palit-ulo" scheme, "which literally means exchange heads, where the wife or husband or relative of a person in a so-called drug list will be taken if the person himself could not be found."

The Philippine National Police has said that Robredo was mistaken in her description of the "palit-ulo" scheme in their operations.

Robredo said the claims made in the video were based on stories relayed to them by members of poor communities affected by the drug war, many of whom are afraid to approach the police because some officers have been involved in the said practices.

The Vice President maintained this on Thursday, saying she only spoke about the truth, and assured those who came forward with their stories of her office’s assistance.

“Naiintindihan ko kung bakit sinasabi ninyo na kayo ay mistulang piping saksi, dahil noong sila po ay pumunta dito, ilang beses nagpahayag ng kanilang mga karanasan, ‘yun ang tulong na hinihingi nila—na tayo maging boses, na kailangan nila ng proteksyon,” she said.

“Ako po ay nagpapasalamat ako sa inyo sa paglakas ninyo ng loob na ikwento ang katotohanan. At pinapanindigan natin na gagawin natin ang lahat kahit po bugbog na tayo. Gagawin natin ang lahat para siguraduhin pa din na ang iyong pagkatakot ay hindi mangyayari,” she added.

'Not a betrayal'

Multisectoral groups also came to her defense on the matter.

“Her video message sent to the United Nations Convention criticizing the unexplained numerous killings in the ongoing ‘war on drugs’ is not a betrayal of public trust. Since when has telling the truth and standing up for human rights been a betrayal?” the Change Politics Movement said.

For its part, the Kilusan ng Kababaihang Pilipino (PILIPINA) added: “VP Robredo merely stated what has become public knowledge here and and abroad about the administration’s war on drugs. To link the VP to a Duterte ouster plot and a recent impeachment complaint because of her stand against EJK is to use unverified and false information to further a political agenda.”

Amid the maelstrom, Robredo called on her supporters to be calm and steadfast.

She noted how she asked them not to stage their own rally in front of her office, in a supposed bid to counter those staged by a small group of people calling for her impeachment and resignation.

“Tama ang sinabi ninyo, maraming kaguluhan ngayon. Maraming kaguluhan ngayon, pero ang hinihingi po natin hinahon,” she told them. “At hinihingi din natin lakas ng loob dahil sa panahon na maraming gulo, sa panahon ng kadiliman, kailangan natin lakasan ang ating loob.”

“Hindi po tayo makikipag-away, magpapahayag lang tayo ng ating saloobin pero parating ang dulo ng lahat, ano yung tama, ano yung narararapat,” she added. —JST, GMA News