Duterte invites Robredo to sit next to him at PNPA Masidlak Class grad rites

SILANG, Cavite – Amid impeachment talks and alleged ouster plots, President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo were seated next to each other at the commencement exercises of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Masidlak Class of 2017 at the Gen. Cicero C. Campos Grandstand in Camp Castañada.

Duterte arrived around 10:20 a.m. for the ceremonies, while Robredo arrived earlier. When the President arrived at the grandstand, he shook hands with the Vice President and engaged her in a conversation.

Interior Secretary Mike Sueno was supposed to be seated in between Duterte and Robredo. But Duterte invited Robredo to sit beside him instead, the footage of the RTVM showed. Sueno then took Robredo's seat.

WATCH: Pres. Duterte invited VP Robredo to sit next to him at PNPA grad rites ????: RTVM @gmanews pic.twitter.com/tCVMq27Omc

— Trisha Macas (@trishamacas) March 24, 2017

It was Sueno who initially nudged Robredo to take his seat as he wouldn't want to disrupt her conversation with the President. The Vice President declined and eventually Sueno took his place. But Duterte then invited Robredo to sit next to him, removing the pieces of paper on Sueno's chair. 

This is the first time that Duterte and Robredo sat next to each other in a public event since Robredo resigned from the Cabinet.

For the past few days, he had been saying that Robredo is in a hurry to claim the presidency. He even proposed for the Vice President to marry him instead. 

Duterte on Thursday even tagged Robredo as one of those who want him ousted. 

But earlier that day, Duterte defended Robredo from the impending impeachment complaint against her, calling on those planning to do so to just stop.

"Look. We just had an election. Guys, lay off. Stop it. You can do other things, but do not tinker with the structure of government. I will not countenance it. Elected iyong tao eh," Duterte said in a press briefing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after arriving from his trips in Myanmar and Thailand.

"So, why do you have to? Just because she keeps harping on me? Hayaan mo. This is a democracy. It's freedom of speech. Wala naman—there are no overt acts," he added.

Robredo, for her part, described the impeachment complaint filed against Duterte as well as the one being planned against her as "distractions."

"Tingin ko ‘yung impeachment—whether against the President or against sa akin—hihintuin nito ‘yung mga dapat pinag-uukulan ng pansin ng Kongreso," Robredo said.

"Masyadong maraming trabahong kailangan atupagin. Magiging very divisive para sa bansa natin. Tingin ko hindi siya makakabuti in the long run," she added. — RSJ, GMA News