MANILA, Philippines?He would ?rather listen to the good angels,? said Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo on persistent calls for him to step down in the wake of the bloody Aug. 23 hostage crisis in which the police supposedly under his command performed so miserably.

?Things like that I need to examine very closely. But as I?ve said, I serve at the pleasure of the President. This is a temporary job for me, I can leave anytime,? Robredo added, even as he was let down by his boss who announced that he was serving only in an ?acting capacity.?

?Let?s always respect what he (President Aquino) says. He knows what?s happening so we just leave it up to him,? he said.

The President said the other day that the reason Robredo was appointed in an acting capacity was because they had differences ?in style and philosophy? during the election campaign and that he had to ?make sure that we can really work with each other.?

To this, Robredo said that what Mr. Aquino said pertained to what happened during the campaign and not to his present job.

?Let?s leave it at that. Those things are just between him (Mr. Aquino) and me,? he told reporters at the 44th founding anniversary rites of the National Police Commission (Napolcom) which he chairs.

Asked what Mr. Aquino could have meant by ?differences? with Robredo, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, who was also the President?s spokesperson for the campaign, Wednesday said it may have something to do with the ?scheduling? of campaign sorties.

?Primarily, it?s because Secretary Robredo was in charge of the scheduling, so maybe [it was] the sortie schedules, that was what I was made to understand,? he said.

Asked to comment on Sen. Sergio Osmeña III?s statement that Mr. Aquino should not have made public his supposed differences with Robredo, Lacierda said the President was just being ?forthright.?

Lacierda declined to comment on the half-page advertisements that have appeared in major broadsheets expressing support for Robredo.

The ads, titled ?We stand by you,? signed by 70 known allies and party mates of Mr. Aquino who paid tribute to Robredo as a ?most worthy public servant? who deserved support for his service to the people. The signatories included Liberal Party leaders Grace Padaca and Nereus Acosta.

?This is a private initiative of people who believe in (Robredo?s) capabilities. So we cannot comment on that,? Lacierda said.

Robredo has been under fire for his role, or lack of it, in the bungled hostage rescue operation that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead last Aug. 23.

?I?d like to look ahead. The incident was very unfortunate, it?s something that none of us wanted,? Robredo said.

?As long as the good angels are with me, my will is strong. And whether we admit it or not, there are just some people who would rather not see me at [the] DILG,? he said. With Christine Avendaño