“WHO has the history of stealing?”
This was the response of Vice President Leni Robredo after her losing rival former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. accused her of "stealing the vice presidency" from him.
Robredo said that there is no need for her to defend herself as history will speak against Marcos' favor.
“Between the two of us, sino ba ang may history ng pagnanakaw? Hindi yata ako yun.” Robredo told reporters in an interview.
Robredo, the former chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) recently resigned from the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“There are many ways to help the people and in my own small way, I will do my share as a Filipino and in my limited capacity and as the elected Vice President,” Robredo maintained.
Robredo announced her decision to leave the Cabinet last Sunday, a day after she received a text message from Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco relaying Duterte’s instruction for her to “desist” from attending Cabinet meetings.
Robredo subsequently submitted a formal resignation letter.
Senate President Pro Tempore Franklin Drilon said the Duterte government wants the “political capital of Robredo diminished.”
“The writings are on the wall…the reason for this sinister agenda is clear: when they ultimately install defeated vice presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos as vice president, it will be at the least political cost on the administration,” he said.
The Marcos camp, in a statement, said Robredo’s departure from the Cabinet “is long overdue given her very obvious adversarial attitude and opposite stance from [Duterte’s] policies.”
“Whether she was fired or she resigned from her post is definitely not the business of former Senator Bongbong Marcos. However we take strong exception to her statement on not letting the vice presidency to be `stolen’ from her,” the statement said.
Robredo on Sunday revealed a “plot to steal the vice presidency” has apparently been set into motion.
Marcos has a pending protest against Robredo’s victory in the May elections. She won only by some 263,000 votes against Marcos.
When asked about the allegation that she is one of those behind the plot to oust Duterte as the Chief Executive, Robredo said she has no political skills nor capabilities to do that.
“Ang alam ko lang yung mga mass action ay expression ng outrage ng mga Pilipino dahil sa desisyon ng kasalukuyan gobyerno na ipalibing ang dating diktador sa Libingan ng mga Bayani. Hindi po ako lumahok sa
anuman mass action dahil nasa ilalim po ako ng gabinete ng ating Pangulo. Wala pong basehan yung akusasyon ginagawa laban sa akin at sa aking pagkatao,” Robredo said.
Earlier, it was reported that House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez accused Robredo as one of those who are behind the plot to oust the President.
Robredo said there were many lies peddled against her but maintained that democracy should reign in this country.
“We only have one country. This is not about me. Even the vice presidency is not just about me...I hope our leaders will take into consideration not their own political gain but the Filipino people who expect us to fulfill our promises to give them better lives,” Robredo stressed. (Sunnex)