(Eagle News) — “Guys, lay off. Stop it.”
This was President Rodrigo Duterte’s advice to those working on impeachment complaints against his constant critic Vice-President Leni Robredo, saying what she was doing in criticizing his administration was part of democracy.
“Look, we just had an election. Guys, lay off. Stop it. You can do other things but do not tinker with the structure of government. I will not countenance it,” said Duterte in a press briefing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport upon his arrival from his official visit to Myanmar and Thailand.
The President arrived around 2 in the morning of Thursday, March 23, and had his arrival speech at past 2:30 a.m. Afterwards, he answered questions from the media.
“Elected ‘yung tao eh (She was elected), so why do you have to…is it just because she keeps on harping at me? Hayaan mo (Just let her), this is democracy — freedom of speech,” Duterte said of Vice-President Robredo’s video message.
Robredo had earlier sent a video message to a side event of the 60th annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, criticizing the President’s anti-drug campaign, claiming that the people felt “hopeless and helpless”
She even claimed that there were 7,000 people killed in the government’s war against drugs, when statistics previously cited by the Philippine National Police pointed to only around 2,000.
Because of this, leaders of the House of Representatives, including House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, said that what Robredo did was an impeachable offense and considered as a “betrayal of public trust” for misinforming the international community on the Philippines’ state of affairs.
House justice committee chair Rep. Reynaldo Umali also assessed that there would be more lawmakers to vote for the impeachment of Robredo than for the impeachment complaint filed against President Duterte.
But Duterte told his men to stop this, and to stop work on any move to impeach Robredo.
“There are no overt acts. Kakatapos lang eleksyon,” he said as he referred to critical actions done by Robredo.
The President even hinted he might not finish his term, as he joked that one night, he might not get roused from sleep. In that case, he said, Robredo can take over.
“Malay mo, baka hindi na ako magising sa bangungot. Okay na. Eh di siya naman,” the President said referring to Robredo.
The President, however, said he cannot back down from his campaign promise to fight illegal drugs and criminality.
He said more people had been killed and harmed by illegal drug syndicates, including children and infants who were raped by drug addicts, and this is what he is concerned about.
The President had earlier said that Robredo is too eager to be President, before he left for his official visit to Myanmar.
