President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday hit back at Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo’s claim that the country seemed to have no clear horizon in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic.
Robredo, in a Facebook Live address, called out Duterte’s government for not providing a clear pandemic recovery path and merely providing a “bit of assistance” before leaving Filipinos on their own.
“What we need is someone to point us towards the proper direction. Someone to steer the ship of state,” she said.
Duterte in his own address aired over state television Tuesday morning called Robredo’s comments baseless.
“Ito namang kay Leni, that in her ending statement said that kung hindi ko daw gawain, ng gobyerno, gagawain ng tao. Well, sa panahon itong pandemic medyo desperado ang mga tao tapos dagdagan ninyo ng mga ganoon na wala naman kayong base, sana may ipakita kayo,” he said.
“Please do not add fuel to the fire,” he added.
Comments like Robredo’s, Duterte claimed, not only destroy government but also the Filipino people.
“Pag nasisira ang gobyerno, lulutang tayo lahat. Maski na sabihin pa ninyo mamatay ako bukas, it cannot — it cannot solve the problem of the country,” he said.
It was not the first time Duterte’s administration brushed off comments of Robredo.In June, after Robredo said the government was being in denial of its shortcomings in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic, Palace spokesman Harry Roque called the claims baseless and urged the vice president to send inputs directly to the IATF instead of “focusing on the shortcomings just to score political brownie points at the expense of the [Duterte] administration.” John Ezekiel J. Hirro