(Eagle News) — Vice President Leni Robredo again criticized President Rodrigo Duterte for comparing the 1987 Constitution to toilet paper, saying his remarks were worrisome and troubling.
Robredo explained that all their responsibilities as top officials of the land emanated from the Constitution.
“Nakakabahala iyon kasi iyong Saligang Batas, ito iyong pinaka-framework, eh. Parang ito iyong pinaka-bibliya ng ating gobyerno. Ang lahat na powers, ang lahat na responsibilidad, ang lahat na institusyon ay nakabase sa Saligang Batas. Kumbaga kung walang Saligang Batas, wala ito lahat,” Robredo said Sunday during her radio program on RMN.
“Kami naging Pangulo at Pangalawang Pangulo kami dahil sa Saligang Batas. Parehong-parehong Saligang Batas na tila isinasantabi ngayon,” she said.
President Duterte made his remarks in the context of stressing how the Philippine Constitution cannot be used to force China to change its mind on its claims on the South China Sea.
This was in reaction to Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio citing a provision in the Constitution that mandated the president to protect the country’s marine wealth in archipelagic waters, territorial sea and exclusive economic zone.
Carpio said that event the Philippines’ EEZ should be reserved for the use and enjoyment of Filipinos.
“That is a provision for the thoughtless and the senseless. The protection of our economic rights about the economic zone resolves this? I am protecting the country and 110 million Filipinos,” Duterte said last week.
The President stressed that China would not care about the Philippine Constitution and would just consider it as toilet paper.
“I will go and tell them, get out, this is the Constitution. They will tell you, ‘you run out of toilet paper, use that.’ If they say, you present to me a Constitution like that and we have this ruckus claiming the same place in our jurisdiction, I will say, if you do not have something to wipe your butt with, use your Constitution. Because that means war,” Duterte said.
He added: That piece of paper, the Constitution, will become meaningless, with no spirit except desperation, agony and suffering.”
Robredo had been vocal in criticizing Duterte since the Recto Bank incident that involved 22 fishermen whose fishing vessel had been hit by a Chinese vessel on June 9.
Her remarks came a day after a defeated opposition senatorial bet, Chel Diokno, also slammed the President’s remarks.
Diokno, who was part of the Liberal Party’s “Otso Deretso” slate, said that President Duterte should not be called as President saying that even his position came from the Constitution
“Di na dapat tawaging Pangulo si Duterte sapagka’t ang pwestong iyan ay galing sa 1987 Constitution na sabi niya’y pampahid lang ng pwet,” he said in a Twitter post.
