Robredo's birthday wishes for Duterte: guidance, wisdom, good health

Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday wished for guidance and good health for President Rodrigo Duterte as she greeted the President on his 76th birthday.

Robredo said this on her radio program, BISErbisyongLENI, during which she hoped that Duterte's decision for the country should be based on guidance and wisdom.

"Parati ko namang sinasabi na lagi siyang damay sa dasal natin, ‘di ba? Na guidance, wisdom, kasi iyong pagdedesisyon para sa bansa ay hindi basta-basta. So sana—sana magabayan ng tamang pagdedesisyon kasi iyong ano naman, Ka Ely, iyong success ng Pangulo ay success para sa buong bansa," said Robredo.

(I am always saying that he is always in my prayers right? Guidance, wisdom must be present in his decisions for our country to avoid half-baked results. So I hope that he is guided with his decisions because the success of the President is also the success of our country.)

With the sudden surge of coronavirus disease infections, Robredo also prayed forthe good health for the Chief Executive.

"Saka siguro lalo sa panahon ngayon, good health. Kasi nakakatakot ngayon, Ka Ely, ngayon binabasa natin hindi na lang iyong mga may—hindi na lang seniors iyong mga tinatamaan na grabe, pati mga bata. Kaya ang wish natin kay Pangulo na good health, wish natin para sa lahat. Wish natin para sa lahat," she said.

(Especially these days, I wish him good health. It is difficult nowadays because not only seniors are getting sick but also children. My wish for the President is good health, and I wish that for all of us as well.)

Robredo, a critic of the government's pandemic response, provoked Duterte's ire after she questioned the assessment of the Sinovac vaccines, the first vaccines to be distributed across the country.

"Bakit ako? I would give them the worst? Mamatay ka na. Hindi ko iwanan ‘yong mga frontliners and you do not need to really be redundant about it," Duterte had responded.

Palace spokesman Harry Roque previously said Duterte's birthday wish was for the COVID-19 pandemic to end as more than 700,000 Filipinos had caught the illness while the economy was badly hit. — DVM, GMA News