By Rene Acosta & Bernadette D. Nicolas
Election does not equate to trustworthiness.
This was Malacañang’s message to Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo on Thursday, stressing her election to the second-highest post does not necessarily mean she is trustworthy. “Trust [should be] earned,” Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo said.
He added that Robredo does not needed to be bothered by the President’s lack of trust in her and instead prodded her to do her job as cochairman of the Inter-Agency Committee on Illegal Drugs.
“Ms. Robredo must, however, understand that one’s election to the Vice Presidency does not automatically clothe the occupant with trustworthiness. Trust is earned. The missteps of the VP did not inspire confidence in the matter of keeping to oneself classified information,” Panelo said in a news statement, referring to Robredo’s recent talks with foreign institutions, such as the United Nations and a delegation from the United States.
Panelo issued the statement in response to the remarks of former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and Robredo asking why was the latter appointed if the President had no trust in her in the first place.
But the Palace stood firm that Robredo cannot be trusted with state secrets and accused her of having the tendency to share these with others.
“Her job in leading the agencies involved in the anti-illegal drug campaign requires competence and creativity. Trust comes into play only as regards the nontransmission of state secrets that imperils the safety of the Filipino people and the sovereignty of the country,” he said.
At the same time, Panelo also took the opportunity to criticize Aquino for allegedly neglecting the drug problem during his time in contrast to President Duterte’s anti-illegal drugs tack.
“As for former President Aquino, he is better off focusing on his case pending before the Sandiganbayan, as well as taking care of his health, than touching on a matter related to the dreaded drug menace that he never gave the attention and importance it deserve during his six-year Presidency,” Panelo said. “Lest we forget, the drug problem ballooned in magnitude in his time, obviously due to his neglect in countering this evil that is putting this country into the precipice of a generational destruction.”
ICAD support
Member-agencies of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), through Philippine National Police Officer in Charge Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa, meanwhile, said they support Robredo as cochairman of the body.
Gamboa’s statement on Thursday followed President Duterte’s earlier pronouncement that he does not trust Robredo in her role with the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.
“We support her…we support her,” Gamboa said, adding he sees the Vice President as an ally in the anti-illegal drugs drive.
The PNP officer in charge said that their presence in the meetings of the ICAD with the body’s cochairman was a manifestation of their support to Robredo.
Gamboa would not, however, respond to Robredo’s decision in asking President Duterte to define her role and mandate with the ICAD, which Robredo had sought.
Meanwhile, Robredo has denied Duterte’s statement that she had invited foreign prosecutors to come to the country and investigate the anti-illegal drugs campaign or look into it.
She termed the claims as fake news, adding that Duterte should not believe in fake news, because they can easily and readily be checked.
During his news briefing on Tuesday night, the President dared Robredo to invite the “prosecutor” from the “human rights commission” and he will slap “him” on the face in front of the Vice President.
While Duterte did not identify the prosecutors, he was apparently referring to Phelim Kine, formerly of the US Human Rights Watch, who reacted by tweet to the appointment of Robredo in the illegal-drugs campaign.
Kine said he could come to the Philippines and help Robredo, but President Duterte and his supporters should be arrested for instigating mass murder.
Robredo said she had not invited Kine, or even met with him, adding she had only met with US antidrug officials.
2 comments
The useless, imbecile and coward Palace people should look in the mirror and say so to themselves. These Palace people are the one who cannot be trusted. The top criminal Duterte should be removed from office and thrown in jail.
Trust is given to vp robredo when she was elected as vice president by the people. she deserved cabinet position as mandated by law.