Duterte apologizes after realizing news about Robredo inviting UN probe is fake

President Rodrigo Duterte apologized to Vice President Leni Robredo after he realized that the news about her inviting a US prosecutor and the United Nations to conduct a probe into the administration is fake news, GMA News TV's Balitanghali reported on Sunday.

Duterte discovered that the information was not true upon watching a news report with Robredo directly denying the allegation.

“So if she says that's false news, okay, I believe that. I am sorry because you only said—I realized that it’s a false news when the news comes out, you hear it and you talk about,” he told reporters.

The President earlier threatened to slap foreign human rights advocate Phelim Kine in front of Robredo if she would invite him to the Philippines.

Duterte mistook Kine, who was formerly with the Human Rights Watch, for a UN prober.

Duterte earlier threatened to fire Robredo as co-chair of the Inter-agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) if she reveals classified matters of the government that will endanger the security of the state.

This was after Robredo met with officials of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), US Embassy and community-based advocacy groups to discuss the drug problem in the country.

Duterte underscored that he still does not trust Robredo because they belong to opposing political parties.

“There will never be trust that will be nurtured between the two of us for the simple reason that Leni Robredo is with the opposition,” he said. “There might be things that will be discussed in the Cabinet that is only good for the people who are of the same persuasion.” —Joviland Rita and Julia Mari Ornedo/KG, GMA News