Robredo expose has nothing to do with aid for quake victims

In a statement, Panelo dismissed as “pure nonsense” the claim of Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez that his taunting to release the discoveries and recommendations on how to improve the government’s efforts against illegal drugs showed he lacked empathy to the situation of the residents affected by the quake. (File Photo: Philippine Information Agency)

MANILA — Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Tuesday rebuked Vice President Leni Robredo for postponing anew the release of her findings into the Duterte administration’s drug war to prioritize the giving of aid to quake-hit residents of Davao del Sur.

In a statement, Panelo dismissed as “pure nonsense” the claim of Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez that his taunting to release the discoveries and recommendations on how to improve the government’s efforts against illegal drugs showed he lacked empathy to the situation of the residents affected by the quake.

“The release of her report/recommendation, previously described by her as ‘discoveries,’ insinuating that these were irregularities that she threatened to expose has nothing to do with focusing efforts to help the earthquake victims and the rehabilitation work on the resulting damage. Both can co-exist,” Panelo said.

“It is not as if when the Vice President speaks, the world will stop and the government will halt its operations to provide assistance in Davao,” he added.

Earlier, Gutierrez said the Office of the Vice President (OVP) believes the welfare of the people in Davao del Sur and other areas rocked by the 6.9-magnitude tremor should come first.

“Kung hindi naiintindihan ni Secretary Panelo kung bakit ipinagpaubaya ng ating Bise Presidente ang pag-release ng report ngayong umaga, pagkatapos noong lindol na nangyari kahapon, siguro totoong wala siyang puso at malasakit para sa ating mga kababayan (If Secretary Panelo does not understand why the Vice President decided to defer the release of her report this morning, after the earthquake yesterday, perhaps he really has no heart and empathy for our countrymen)” Gutierrez said in a media interview on Monday.

Panelo previously questioned why Robredo would need to push back the release of her findings, saying she could have done it when she was still co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD).

Misplaced sympathy card

Panelo said the Robredo camp’s resort to the sympathy card is “misplaced”, citing how she failed to be present when the Bicol Region was hit by Typhoon Nina (international name Nock-Ten) in 2016 because she was on vacation in the United States.

“VP Leni was elsewhere when a typhoon ravaged her hometown of Naga on Christmas Day in 2016 but we didn’t accuse her of not sympathizing with her kababayans because it is non sequitur,” Panelo said.

Robredo’s camp, however, defended the Vice President from spending the holidays away from the Philippines, stressing that she was directing her office to work with regional officials and agencies in setting up local relief centers for immediate emergency response on the ground.

He also pointed out Robredo did not hesitate to bear that she would soon release her drug war report right after the 30th South East Asian Games closing ceremony on December 11.

“It was VP Leni who announced to the media that she would release her ‘discoveries’ which she now described as a recommendation/report, as then co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs, immediately after the conclusion of the 30th South East Asian Games,” he added.

Only wants the spotlight

The Palace official claimed Robredo “only wants the spotlight”, noting that while the public expected her to bare the content of her report on Monday, she merely called for a press briefing to announce that she would hold it off.

“Her decision to call a press briefing to announce that there is no press briefing, while flashing her 40-page report, reveals that she only wants the spotlight,” Panelo said.

“As described by some notable columnists, she has become irrelevant at this time due to her not well thought of political statements,” he added.

He also criticized the Vice President for “looking for a perfect timing and hoping that people would pay attention to her as she struggles to be relevant” while the government continues to provide aid to the quake-affected region.

Not a time to vacillate

Panelo reiterated the importance of the administration’s anti-narcotics campaign, stressing that the government could not waste time since the welfare of the next generation is at stake.

“If VP Leni has anything to recommend to improve the current anti-illegal drug war, out with it. This is not the time to vacillate,” Panelo said.

“If she has ‘discoveries’ that she threatened to expose, bring it on, as the President dares her to do,” he added.

On Monday’s press briefing, Robredo said she would release her findings before Christmas instead but it would still depend on the status of the quake-affected residents.

She, however, bared that the report is already complete, even showing a copy of the file she was supposed to make public.

Currently, members of her staff have been sent to the affected Mindanao areas to attend to people’s needs.

Robredo was appointed as co-chair at ICAD on Oct. 31 to help Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino in efforts to curb the drug menace.

She was fired 19 days later due to alleged “missteps” such as meeting with foreign personalities and groups that have prejudged the drug war and failing to present new measures in curbing the drug proliferation in the country.