Called a ‘failure,’ Robredo says it’s always easier to pass the blame than to lead well

It is always easier to pass the blame to others than be a good leader, Vice President Leni Robredo said Wednesday.

Robredo made the message during the graduation rites of the participants of the  Angat Buhay Young Leaders program held in her office just a day after Senator Bong Go faulted her not killing drug lords during her 19-day stint as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD).

Robredo was fired by President Rodrigo Duterte over the weekend for her supposed failure to present a new policy in battling the drug menace.

“In an environment when the limitations given to you are just too much, ang pinakamadali kasi ay to pass the blame on others. Kung sasabihin mo na hindi ko  nagawa ‘trabaho ko dahil uninspired ako sa aking boss; na hindi ako nag-perform dahil hindi ako well motivated ng aking boss…kapag ganoon ang mga dahilan, hindi tayo tunay na lider,” Robredo said.

“Ang tunay na lider, magsasabi [na] kahit uninspiring  ang aking boss, ginagawa ko pa rin ng maayos ang trabaho ko, kahit napakahirap. Hindi ako nagpapaapekto, kahit ‘yung boss ko, hinahandlangan ng lahat ng ginagawa ko. Kapag hinadlangan niya, maghahanap ako ng ibang paraan,” she added.

Prior to her firing, Robredo sent correspondence to the President seeking to clarify the scope of her mandate as ICAD co-chair, given the President also issued statements that she cannot be trusted with confidential information on high value targets of the government’s anti-drug campaign.

Robredo, however, never got a reply until she was fired from her post. Since then, the Vice President said that being fired from ICAD only fuels her to soldier on in the fight against illegal drugs, saying that she will make her discoveries and recommendations public in time.

No excuses

Also on Wednesday, Robredo said that while it is human nature to pass the blame on others, true leaders will rise above such tendencies and go against the current to make things better.

“Ang pinakamadali ay ‘yung ipasa sa iba ang trabaho. Human nature ‘yun na the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. We always wish for what is not, but the challenge for every leader is how do you not allow the frustration to get in the way of what you are doing? How do you prevent the difficulties from diminishing the quality of the work you are doing?,” Robredo pointed out.

“Ang leadership, hindi ‘yung pabibo ka parati. Minsan nasa likod ka, pero kahit gaano kaliit ang ginagawa mo, nararamdaman ng lahat. Dapat irespeto ‘yung bawat assignment, mandato na ibinigay sa atin, kahit gaano kahirap,” she added.

During her 19-day stint as ICAD co-chair, Robredo met with officials of government agencies, organizations involved in community-based rehabilitation of drug dependents, as well as representatives of US Embassy in Manila and UN Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as paid a visit to drug-infested communities to discuss ways to address the drug menace. — RSJ, GMA News