Vice
President-elect Leni Robredo urged the public and the members of Rodrigo
Duterte’s team to help the President-elect by giving him insights that will
“broaden his views” on issues.
In a statement viewed from a Twitter
post by @AicaDioquino and published by GMA News Online on Friday, Robredo
reiterated her full support for Duterte and said that supporting the new
President is tantamount to helping the nation. She then asked the public to
support Duterte by providing perspectives as the new President look into
various issues including human rights and gender equality.
“Supporting him means doing what we
can to help him serve our people, and our nation, the best that he can. This
includes providing, with the other members of his team, other perspectives on
various issues to broaden his view, and afford him the breadth of vision that
is so essential to the leader of our nation,” the statement read.
Robredo also highlighted the
importance of the statements that come from the President as these may be
construed by many as official pronouncements. As such, Robredo called for
vigilance to avoid unnecessary concern.
“It is a testament to the power and
prestige of the Presidency that each statement and each action of our leader is
taken as an indicator of official policy.
“Hence the need for constant vigilance
and circumspection, to avoid raising any unnecessary concern, particularly over
issues as sensitive as the murder of journalists and the treatment of women in
our society,” the statement read.
Duterte came under fire this week for
some of his controversial remarks regarding media killings and for
wolf-whistling at GMA news reporter Mariz Umali in a news conference in Davao
City.
The President-elect said that most of
the journalists killed were corrupt and that those kinds of journalists are
legitimate targets of assassination.
Duterte has not backtracked on the
said pronouncements and said that they are covered by his freedom of
expression, especially the one directed at Mariz Umali.
In response to these controversies,
Robredo assured the people of her full support for the President while
continuing to stand on her principles.
“For my part, I reiterate my full
support and best wishes for the incoming administration, and I assure our
people that I will always stand firm on the principles that have guided my
entire career as a public interest lawyer, a women’s right advocate, and a
public servant,” the statement read.
President-elect Duterte has not
offered any Cabinet post to Vice President-elect Leni Robredo, despite his
pronouncement during the campaign period that he will appoint Robredo as his
“assistant president.”
Post a Comment