The country’s top two leaders engaged in a word war as the Vice President chooses to speak up against the President’s recent remarks about her ‘incompetence.’
“Ayoko na sana i-dignify pero siguro sabihin ko na lang na imbes na insultuhin ako o ang Diyos, asikasuhin na lang muna ang mga problema ng ating ekonomiya (I did not really want to dignify him but let us just say that instead of insulting me or God, he should fix the problem in our economy,” Vice President Marie Lenor “Leni” Robredo said in a statement on Wednesday, July 11.
This statement came after President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Tuesday did not believe that Robredo was competent to lead a country.
“I don’t think she will be ready to govern a country. Reason? Incompetence. She is not capable of running a country like the Philippines,” the President told reporters in Clark, Pampanga.
Duterte, who has mentioned several times his intention to go down from his Presidential post on past speeches, said if he does resign, he would not do it if it will make Robredo the president but only for the people to elect somebody they wanted.
In response to this remark, the Vice Presidential legal adviser earlier tweeted that Duterte is not in the position to say such things.
[READ: Robredo lawyer: Duterte not in position to call VP ‘incompetent’]
“Inflation: 5.2%. Bigas (Rice): P42/kilo. $1 = P53.51. Dagdag sa pambansang utang (Additions to the national debt): P1.19T. Sariling karagatan: bawal sa Pinoy (Our own waters: prohibited from Filipinos). Trapik: palala pa (Traffic: getting worse). Patayan, tila araw-araw na lang (Killings, an everyday occurrence),” lawyer Barry Gutierrez said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
“Incompetent? Nagsalita ang magaling (Look who is talking),” he added.
The President’s remarks against the Vice President came after she announced the willingness to lead and unite the opposition against the administration.
“Maraming mga grupo na pareho naman ‘yun paniniwala at mga issues na gustong salungatin pero dahil hindi nag-usap-usap, hindi napag-iisa ‘yun boses (Several groups have the same beliefs and issues that they want to oppose but since they are not talking to each other, the voices are not united as one),” Robredo said, adding that she wants to take role of uniting these voices.
The Vice President was the former chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).