Leni assures LP has no plans to unseat Duterte

VP Leni Robredo meets with local media during her stopover in Cebu.
(CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)

VICE President Leni Robredo yesterday debunked rumors that the Liberal Party was plotting to unseat President Rodrigo Duterte.

“I don’t know where those rumors came from. Since elections, (the LP) hasn’t met as a party,” she said at a press conference during her third official visit to Cebu on Tuesday.

She said she intends to discuss this matter with the president personally, just to assure him that he has the LP’s support.

Robredo recalled how LP members in the House of Representatives and Senate made an alliance with the majority party and vowed to support the president.

“Nothing has changed,” she said, adding that her support for Duterte has never been diminished by their differences in opinion on policies.

The vice president called for everyone’s support for the president amidst these rumors circulating, saying that it is each one’s obligation.

“He’s our only president and he deserves our support,” she said, adding that the country cannot afford another upheaval.

Being supportive, she explained, doesn’t mean agreeing all the time. Sometimes, she added, parties can always agree to disagree.

Vice President Robredo said the success of Duterte’s presidency is success for the nation and any attempt to destroy his administration should be discouraged because it will not be good for the country.

US TROOPS

Asked to comment on Duterte’s pronouncement that American troops need to be pulled out from Mindanao, Robredo said this needs to be thoroughly studied “especially now that a war is happening there.”

“I think the president is really looking into this matter. He will decide accordingly. I think this is the president’s statement that shows we are seeking an independent foreign policy. It would be good for our country to pursue an independent foreign policy, but I just hope this wouldn’t be done in haste,” she said.

Robredo said there needs to be balance, as there is always a good and bad side to every decision. She said she hopes whatever decision will be reached is a result of a long and thorough study.

She said civilian safety isn’t the only factor that should be taken into account, but also, on a more personal note, the lives of the soldiers sent to Mindanao.

In the midst of an all-out war against the Abu Sayaff Group, Robredo said the country has lost so many lives already in a span of two weeks.
“While that is their basic obligation, we also need to do everything we can to protect them,” said Robredo.

Third Visit

Robredo marked her third official visit to Cebu with a thanksgiving dinner with local journalists.

She landed at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) late in the afternoon following her visit to Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte in her capacity as chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) earlier.

“Matagal ko na talagang gustong pumunta ng Cebu para magpasalamat sa inyo (I’ve been meaning to come to Cebu to thank all of you). This is an opportune time to stay here overnight and squeeze some time with you,” she told reporters during a pre-dinner conference at Rico’s Lechon on Mactan Island, just a few meters away from the airport.
Robredo said she will fly to Eastern Samar on Wednesday to visit poor communities.

Best Practices

The vice president said she is going around the country in search of the poorest communities as well as communities that used to be poor but have turned things around.

Robredo said she intends to take best practices from similarly situated areas and apply these to places where poverty is rampant.

Among the places she plans to visit is Siayan in Zamboanga del Norte, which was considered to be the Philippines’ poorest municipality from 2003 to 2009.

“Now, it’s a second class municipality already. I’ve met the mayor many times, multi-awarded. I want to see what the mayor did,” Robredo said, referring to Siayan Mayor Flora Villarosa.

While she was in Zamboanga del Norte on Tuesday, she wasn’t able to drop by Siayan due to the heavy rains experienced in some parts of the country. Robredo took a flight from Dipolog City to Cebu.

Robredo also said she was thankful that the Lower House approved her office’s 2017 budget in three minutes, adding that this was already expected since she proposed a lower amount compared to the budget this year.