President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo (Presidential Photo)
MANILA -- President Rodrigo Duterte spewed harsh words against Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo for “always talking” with foreign personalities and institutions who have prejudged his administration’s campaign on illegal drugs instead of providing ways to improve it.
Duterte made this remark four days after firing Robredo as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) over alleged “missteps” she committed.
“She made an asshole of herself. Always talking. Ang ayaw ko dun (What I don’t like about it is) the first thing she did was to go to the embassy of the United States of America, then to the UN (United Nations) then to the EU (European Union),” Duterte said in a media interview in Malacañang on Thursday night.
Duterte said that instead of talking to people directly involved in the anti-narcotics drive, the sacked drug czar preferred to meet with foreigners who relied on the opposition’s false information on the drug war.
“Instead of talking to the law enforcement, instead of talking to the barangay captains, instead of talking to itong mga taong (people) handling the rehabilitation, sabi ko (I said) she made an asshole of herself. I will talk to the... kung sinu-sino (whoever),” Duterte said.
He admitted that although he had no information that Robredo invited former Human Rights Watch director for Asia Phelim Kline to meet, he found it peculiar how Kline offered help by even flying to the Philippines.
“Dineny niya ang prosecutor. Pero bakit nag-tweet na (She denied that she invited the prosecutor. But why did he tweet) ‘I’m packed, I’m ready to go and arrest Duterte,” Duterte said.
Meanwhile, Duterte dared Robredo to bare her findings on the drug war.
“You seem to be threatening na may information ka, ilabas mo (that you have information, release it),” Duterte said.
Earlier, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo insinuated that Robredo is “fabricating” her findings on the drug war because it took her too long to release them.
“Why is she taking so long? Dahil ba kasi may nagpe-prepare na iba sa kanya? Ano 'yung report na ‘yun? Kasi kung may natuklasan ka agad e di immediately, palagi naman siya nagpe-presscon, di sinabi niya na sana (Is it because somebody else is preparing it for her? What report is that? Because if you discover something, you would immediately call for a presscon, you would have bared it by now),” Panelo said.
“Kung totoong meron, bakit di niya inilabas noon pa? Dahil ba meron silang ginagawang multong nililikha nila (If there really are irregularities, why didn’t she release them before? Is it because she’s cooking up something)?” he added.
Duterte appointed Robredo as anti-drug czar on October 31 to provide new ideas on how to put a stop to the country’s drug problem.
He fired Robredo on Sunday (November 24), over two weeks in office, after she failed to present new solutions in the drug campaign. (PNA)
