Duterte says Leni will never be ready to be President

Vice President Leni Robredo will never be ready to succeed him, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday.

Duterte made the remark hours after Robredo said that she was ready to lead the opposition against him.

"Look, I will not resign because it will make her president. My resignation is addressed to the people para makapili sila ng gusto nila. Siya, I don’t think she can ever be ready to govern a country. Reason? Incompetence,” he told reporters in Clark, Pampanga.

Duterte, who is eyeing to quit the presidency as early as next year once the proposed federal constitution is ratified in a plebiscite, issued the remark following Robredo's decision to lead the political opposition in the run up to the 2019 midterm elections.

Robredo said earlier in the day that she had agreed to the request of some groups to lead the opposition provided that all political issues be settled by the opposition.

The concerns include the completion of a slate for the 2019 elections on or before September as the filing of certificates for candidacy starts in the first week of October.

Malacañang said it was hardly surprised by Robredo's decision given that she is the highest elected member of the opposition.

Robredo, who entered politics only in 2013, is the chairperson of the former ruling Liberal Party. —NB, GMA News