Robredo fired

Pres. Duterte admitted that he is not satisfied with Robredo’s performance. (VPLR)

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on Sunday night confirmed that President Rodrigo Duterte fired Vice President Leni Robredo as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD).

The confirmation came minutes after Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo was quoted as saying that the Chief Executive decided to remove Robredo as anti-illegal drugs official due to her inability to infuse new tact on the government’s war.

On Saturday, Duterte admitted that he is not satisfied with Robredo’s performance.

“Insofar as what she (Robredo) is doing now, that is not very clear to me. Nakukulangan ako sa ability niya (I am not satisfied with her ability),” the President said in a media interview in Davao City.

“Ako, hindi pa siya nagtatrabaho talaga nang husto (For me, she has yet to give her best as she is really not doing her job well). I have yet to see the Vice President working as an ICAD co-chair,” he added.

On October 31, Robredo was appointed to lead the ICAD, along with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Aaron Aquino, until June 30, 2022, after earning the President’s ire when she claimed that the drug war is “absolutely not working.”

Duterte stressed Robredo should know the “description of her work” as ICAD co-chair.

He added that Robredo needs to discuss with Aquino the “sharing” of their powers as heads of the anti-drug body.

On Wednesday, Robredo said she would be willing to give up as anti-drug czar should the President ask her to vacate the post.

The President, however, clarified that he is not ordering Robredo to quit as ICAD co-chair.

“Hindi ako — ayaw ko sa kanya. Sabi ko lang na I cannot trust her kasi hindi kami magka-[alyado]. Kung sabihin mo sa trabaho lang, trabaho ka lang diyan (It’s not that I don’t like her. I just said I don’t trust her. If you said it’s just work, then just do your work),” he said.

The President maintained that he could not appoint Robredo as a member of his Cabinet, as he opted to discuss confidential drug war records with people who have the “same persuasion.”

According to Panelo, Robredo has been on the job for three weeks already but her failure to provide new programs for ICAD did her in.

Earlier, Panelo said it may not be civil nor ethical for Robredo to taunt or dare the President by demanding him to tell her that he does not want her for the job she was appointed to or that he wants her to resign from her current post..

Panelo made the remark after Robredo said in a press briefing in Quezon City that she won’t hesitate to resign from her post as co-chairperson of the ICAD if the President himself will ask her to.

He said just like accepting a position, resigning from it solely depends upon the person, and not with the appointing power. “If one is not comfortable with it, or cannot stand the heat in the kitchen, the honorable thing to do is to leave the post quietly,” Panelo said.

“Such taunting and daring only make it appear that PRRD owes her for appointing her as anti-illegal drug czar. It is the other way around. Without her knowing it, she may be displaying her lack of care about the work assigned to her, or she may be showing disrespect to the President,” he added.

According to Panelo, the President only said she would not give her a Cabinet rank and she would only fire her if she reveals classified information that imperils the safety and general welfare of the Filipino people.

“If she is smarting from the remarks of PRRD of not trusting her to have access to classified information, she has only herself to blame,” Panelo said.

“Without first inquiring as to the scope of her authority, which she could have easily done by requesting an audience with the President, she instead went full steam in consulting or inviting foreign institutions and personalities, some of whom have already prejudged the war on drugs as a violation of human rights and crime against humanity. In addition, she demanded full access to confidential matters that involve state security,” he said.

Panelo said those red flags did not inspire confidence on her person, which the President could not just brush off.

“Worse, she has been listening to the advice on how to run her new post by some of her colleagues in the opposition who are eyeing the presidency in 2022 and who obviously want her to fail in her new job this early, to eliminate her from the race,” Panelo said.

Panelo said Robredo is much better off if she chooses to be her own person as when she accepted the position of anti-drug czar against the unanimous advice of opposition stalwarts.

“This time, however, she opted to heed the advice of those presently surrounding her whose political motivations are glaring, to which VP Leni seems to be oblivious of.

Now the question haunting her is: Will she or will she not? Quo Vadis VP Leni?,” he said. With PNA