Leni should take initiative of mending fences with PRRD: Palace

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and Vice President Leni Robredo (PNA Photo)

MANILA – Vice President Leni Robredo should take the initiative of setting aside differences to work together with President Rodrigo Duterte, Malacañang said Tuesday.

In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said it is up to Robredo to take action so that she and Duterte could cooperate in responding to problems like the pandemic and typhoons.

“It’s her call. Dalawang beses siyang in-appoint ni Presidente (The President appointed her to the Cabinet twice), so I don’t know what initiatives she has taken naman. Maybe she should start the initiative,” he said.

In July 2016, Robredo was appointed as chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council. She resigned five months later after she was asked to stop attending Cabinet meetings.

She was appointed as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) on October 31, 2019, but Duterte eventually fired her due to her alleged “missteps”. She was supposed to serve as ICAD co-chair until June 30, 2022.

Robredo acknowledged the differences between her and Duterte, particularly in their style of governance.

“This should not mean that there is no chance for us to work together for the betterment of the people, especially during times like these. We should show the people that we are ready to set aside our differences for them,” she said.

Last week, Malacanang criticized Robredo for acting like she was the one “calling the shots” on relief efforts through her posts on her official Twitter account.

Robredo was accused of “grandstanding” during typhoon response after she criticized the President while knowing that Duterte was busy attending the 37th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit and Related Summits via video conference from Nov. 12 to 15.

Despite the Asean events, Duterte conducted an aerial survey both in Typhoon Ulysses-hit Cagayan Valley and Bicol region and presided over situation briefings on November 12.

He said government personnel and resources were prepositioned two to three days before “Ulysses” made a landfall.

Duterte also conducted an aerial inspection and visit to Albay a day after Super Typhoon pummeled Bicol region particularly Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, and Albay on November 1.