Robredo may skip Cabinet meeting sans drug-related agenda: Palace

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte believes it was unnecessary for Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo to attend future Cabinet meetings, if drug problem is not among the matters to be taken up, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President’s pronouncement would be for Robredo’s convenience, since attending a Cabinet meeting would be time-consuming.

“We have a Cabinet meeting. We are invited by the CabSec (Cabinet Secretary) and we are asked if we are going or not. It’s optional for us to attend because if it is not your topic there, you will have to stay there for the rest of the meeting until the wee hours of the morning,” Panelo said in a Palace press briefing.

“Kung hindi ka naman kasama doon sa agenda, mas masaya siguro kung hindi ka na a-attend (If you cannot relate to the agenda, it would be better if you do not attend). That’s why I said you should be thankful.

 Pumunta ka lang kung ano mo, topic mo (Just attend if the Cabinet meeting covers your topic),” he added.

Duterte and Robredo have yet to meet since the President appointed the Vice President as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Drugs (ICAD) last October 31.

As ICAD chair serving until the end of her term in 2022, Robredo holds a Cabinet rank, the second time under Duterte’s watch.

She once was part of the Cabinet as housing czar but resigned in December 2016 because of policy differences with Duterte.

Robredo failed to attend the Cabinet meeting on November 6 but held her first meeting with member-agencies of ICAD on November 8.

Panelo said Robredo would need to wait for the President’s invitation to the next Cabinet meeting.

“Sabi ni Presidente (The President said), ‘I will invite her myself,'” the Palace official said.

Meantime, Panelo said Robredo can still share her views about other issues not related to drug menace, in case she is not invited to the Cabinet meeting.

Panelo assured Robredo that she would not be stripped of her right to freedom of expression.

“It doesn’t mean naman na (that) when you are not in Cabinet meeting, you cannot comment because there is a transcript on that and that is given to all members of the Cabinet,” he said.

“If you feel like commenting on other topics, you can do that… How? Mag-issue ka ng statement o gumawa ka ng memorandum (Just issue a statement or a memorandum), address whomsoever you want,” Panelo added.