Duterte ‘consistent,’ not ‘plastic’ in latest criticism of Robredo — Palace

President Rodrigo Duterte’s latest criticism of Vice President Leni Robredo showed he is consistent in his stance on her leadership ability, Malacañang said Thursday.

Duterte on Tuesday night threatened to campaign against Robredo should she seek to succeed him in 2022 as the President accused her of leading efforts to discredit him amid a calamity caused by powerful typhoons.

Robredo dismissed the President’s remarks as “very unpresidential.”

“Alam ninyo hindi naman po plastic si Presidente at hindi naman niya ngayon lang ginawa iyan. Consistent po ang behavior ng Presidente,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque told a news conference.

“Is that unpresidential? I don’t think so because 91% of the people have said that they trust and they believe that the President is performing well in his duties,” he added, referring to the September survey of independent pollster Pulse Asia.

The President had accused Robredo of starting the hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo, which trended on social media during the onslaught of Typhoons Rolly and Ulysses.

He also claimed that Robredo gave orders to the military at the height of Ulysses’ onslaught. Robredo, however, in her tweets connected netizens pleading for rescue to teams on the ground.

Robredo likewise denied asking for the whereabouts of the President at the height of Ulysses.

Still, Roque claimed that Robredo made it appear that she was the one in charge of the government’s relief efforts.

“Ang punto sabi nga ni Presidente, siyempre rirespetuhin ang Vice President dahil Vice President siya pero lahat po iyan naka-preposition. Lahat po iyan bago pa dumating ang bagyo pinulong na po ni Presidente at alam na nila ang gagawin,” he said.

“Natural hindi ka naman pupuwedeng balewalain dahil mayroon ka ring posisyon sa gobyerno pero mali naman iyong impresyon na binigay natin na kung hindi dahil kay Vice President baka hindi gumalaw itong mga ito, hindi po.”

Robredo said on Wednesday that she decided to step in and answer the "distress calls" of flood-hit residents of Cagayan and Isabela because no other government official seemed to be responding to them. 

“10 o'clock in the evening tsaka ko lang nakita ‘yung mga distress calls. And you know what I did was chineck ko kung merong sumasagot from the government doon sa distress calls, wala, walang sumasagot from the government,” Robredo said.

“Hindi ko alam kung hindi ko lang nakita pero nung naghanap ako wala akong nakikitang gumawa noon. And it could have been anyone. Hindi naman kailangan na si Presidente ‘yung sumasagot. Puwede naman any government official,” she later added. — RSJ, GMA News