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Robredo on Duterte's 'recycled' rants: Focus on country's problems, not me
Vice President Leni Robredo branded as recycled rants the allegations made by President Rodrigo Duterte against her, as she urged the Chief Executive to focus on solving the country’s problems instead of devoting his attention to her.
“The allegations made by the President are recycled rants conveniently used to deflect attention from the failures of this administration,” Robredo said in a press statement.
She said that while Duterte may be intending to flatter her by keeping her at the top of his mind “when he stands behind the seal of his office, I’d still prefer that he focus on the many important matters that he needs to address—as rising prices continue to make life difficult for our fellow Filipinos, especially for those in need.”
“Perhaps he can use his podium to assure the people that he is on top of these problems,” she said.
Robredo said the President should also use his power to intervene when his appointed officials struggle to come up with coherent solutions to the rising prices of rice and other basic commodities.
Some parts of the country are now facing shortage in the supply of rice which resulted to high price of the staple food.
The country also recorded in July its fastest inflation rate in five years at 5.7 percent.
Robredo mocked Duterte by saying despite the many problems, the drug war clearly remains highest on his agenda, so much so that the latter is now pinning blame on a blind man referring to Butch Robredo, the Vice President’s brother in law.
“Perhaps instead of constantly repeating this ridiculous allegation, and throwing mud on the name of a city that thrives on good governance — and that staunchly supports the call to fight illegal drugs—he can turn his attention to the P6.8-billion shabu shipment that slipped past his Customs officials, and not just shrug off the insistent report of his own PDEA chief regarding the magnetic lifters found in Cavite,” she said.
He repeatedly said that Naga is a hotbed of shabu, a claim which the Philippine National Police clarified and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Bicol denied.
The Vice President further said that Duterte, instead of continuing to glorify a dictator who stole billions from the country, drove the nation into debt, and presided over the murder and imprisonment of thousands of Filipinos, “can work on truly unifying the nation, and assuring our people, especially those at the fringes, that their voices are being heard and that their daily suffering will soon be eased.”
Duterte said in his speech that the country is better off with a dictator like the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos instead of Robredo. —JST, GMA News
