MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte should not be sensitive to criticisms after #NasaanAngPangulo trended over social media accounts last week when typhoon Ulysses inundated parts of Luzon, said his vice president Leni Robredo.
In her recent Facebook live, Robredo said Duterte should not be “onion-skinned” after the latter lambasted her during his public address on Tuesday night.
“Para sa ‘tin, dapat kasi ‘di tayo balat-sibuyas sa ganyan, kasi traditionally naman kung sino ang nakaupo marami talagang reklamo ang tao. ‘Di dapat siya nagiging dahilan para mag away-away lalo na sa panahon na dapat nagtutulong-tulungan,” Robredo said.
“Kahit nung time ni PNoy (former President Benigno Aquino III) ginagamit na ‘yung hashtag na ‘yan. ‘Yung ngayon, ‘di lang yata ngayong typhoon, parang ginamit na siya even before,” she added.
President Duterte, in a lengthy, repeated rant on Tuesday evening, accused Robredo of lying about his whereabouts during the typhoon as he was attending a virtual Asean Summit. Robredo, for her part, urged President Duterte to examine who peddled him such wrong information.
“Kung sino mang nagfi-feed sa Presidente ng false information, ‘yun ang dapat hanapin. Tinanggal ako sa Cabinet noong 2016 dahil din sa false information,” Robredo said. “Balikan niya ‘yung nagsusumbong sa kanya kasi nagsisinungaling ‘yun.”
“The President was fed with wrong information. Sa akin, never ko siyang hinanap during the crisis,” she added. “Siguraduhin (ni Duterte) na tama ang sinasabi niya. In this case, mali siya.”
According to Robredo, Duterte did not need to go out or appear during the height of the disaster.
“‘Pag humihingi ang mga kababayan natin ng tulong, kailangan merong lumabas, whether ako ‘yun or si Pangulo, pwede nga si Sec. Harry Roque or head ng NDRRMC,” she said.
“Sabihin narinig namin kayo, nakuha lahat ng calls for help niyo, help is coming. Gagawin namin lahat para masalba kayo, dapat ganun ang mensahe,” the Vice President added.
Vice President Robredo further said it was “unpresidential” of the Chief Executive for threatening her that he would insult her if she runs for president.
“I think that’s very unpresidential pero karapatan niya namang sabihin kung ano ang dapat niyang sabihin,” Robredo said. “Kahit hindi vice president, kahit ordinaryong mamamayan, kapag may humingi ng tulong ay tulungan.”
“Kung sabihin mong ‘wala akong ginagawa,’ pwede mong sabihin ‘yan pero sa dami ng tinatrabaho natin, iisipin pa ‘yan ngayon? Alam ko na ang tao alam na hindi iyon totoo,” she added.
Robredo also called out Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo for peddling “fake news” that she accompanied a C130 plane carrying relief goods from the social welfare department and national disaster council.
“‘Yun talaga 100 percent false. Never akong gumamit ng C130 plane at kami ang dami naming ginagawa sa opisina na hindi naman ako sa kanila humihingi ng tulong,” she said.
Meanwhile, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an interview with CNN Philippines on Wednesday that President Duterte might have his basis on his anger with Robredo.
“I’m not sure if she said it but the President must have had a reason because he doesn’t want to quarrel with the VP,” Roque said. “It wasn’t right for anyone to ask #NasaanAngPangulo because I myself had a hard time monitoring both the Asean Summit and the typhoon.”
“Many of VP Robredo supporters want her to take over the presidency, but for that to happen you have to be absolutely evil and wish the President ill,” he added./PN
