Robredo on OVP abolition: It must be the will of the people, not politicians

Vice President Leni Robredo said she is willing to be ousted from her office, however it must be a decision made by the people and not by other politicians. (Photo: VP Leni Robredo/Facebook)

Vice President Leni Robredo said she is willing to be ousted from her office; however, it must be a decision made by the people and not by other politicians.

“Sa akin, bilang Pangalawang Pangulo, ang alam kong ibinigay sa akin, 6 na taon. Ang puwede lang bumawi noong mandatong iyon, taumbayan din. Kaya iyong lahat na proposals, amendments sa Konstitusyon ay kailangang tanungin iyong mga tao kung sang-ayon sila dito (For me, as Vice President, I know I was given six years. Only the public can take away that mandate. That’s why they must agree with all the proposals, amendments to the Constitution),” Robredo told reporters in a chance interview on Tuesday.

She was referring to the proposed structure of the Philippine government under a federal system submitted by President Rodrigo Duterte’s political party, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino — Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban) to the House sub-committee on constitutional amendments.

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) will be abolished if the proposed federal charter is approved.

Robredo said any actions to amend the Constitution and change the system of the Philippine government should undergo a meticulous process, with each new provision cautiously studied.

However, the vice president said she will respect the public’s decision if they will agree to abolish the OVP.

“Kung palagay ng taumbayan hindi na kinakailangan iyong Pangalawang Pangulo, tayo naman, parati tayong magrerespeto sa kagustuhan ng taumbayan. Pero kinakailangan kahilingan ito ng tao, hindi ng ibang politico (If the people think the vice president is no longer needed, we will respect their wishes. But this must be the will of the people, not of other politicians),” Robredo said.

Robredo, meanwhile, encouraged lawmakers to not rush the constitutional amendments to make way for the government’s transition into a federal form.

On Sunday, the vice president’s legal adviser, Barry Gutierrez, questioned the ruling party’s proposed federal constitution draft, emphasizing that the Republic had the OVP for 80 years ever since the 1935 Constitution was created.

“The question therefore is, how does abolishing the OVP relate to the establishment of Federalism? Or is the abolition already in service of some other, unstated agenda?” Gutierrez argued.

He said that the only time Philippines had no VP was during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

During the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments hearing on Tuesday, committee chairman Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado, for his part, presented the salient features of their proposed draft to amend the Constitution.

In the transitory provisions of the House Sub-committee 1, it stated that the “Vice President shall continue until 2022 to exercise her powers and prerogatives as vice president under the 1987 Constitution.”

The proposal, however, did not state any provisions on the roles of the OVP.