Hontiveros to Duterte: Shape-up, stop blaming others

Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros slammed President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday for allegedly blaming other people or groups for the problems hounding his administration.

“Two years into the Presidency and we bear witness to this government running a series of blame-games for its mishaps and incompetence,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

The senator raised several instances where the President allegedly pointed his fingers to others during discussions of issues against the government.

“Instead of thinking of solutions, he is putting the blame on others. The increase in the price of goods, he blames it on (US President Donald) Trump. The erroneous war on drugs, he blames it on human rights advocates,” Hontiveros claimed.

“With the worsening poverty, it is the fault of the previous administration. The President has a growing list of people and things to blame, except himself. Tough talker, pero (but a) weak leader,” she alleged.

Blaming Trump

During a speech on Friday before the Filipino Community in Jordan, Duterte said Trump caused inflation, claiming that the tariffs and the banning of other prices contributed to high prices.

“Inflation is dahil ‘yan kay Trump [Inflation is because of Trump]. When Trump raised ‘yung mga tarrif niya pati banned other items nagkaloko-loko,” Duterte said.

READ: Duterte blames Trump-imposed tariffs for PH inflation

Hontiveros also downplayed Duterte’s suspicions that members of the Liberal Party, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, and communist groups are planning to remove him from office by October, saying that these are still ways to alleviate the focus on more pressing concerns.

Instead, she called on the President to “start governing”.

“It is time to tell the President: quit terrorizing, start governing. By words and deeds, he terrorizes the public, highlighted in the recent week by a political vendetta gone shamefully wrong to divert the public’s attention from issues that really matter: soaring consumer prices, unemployment, extrajudicial killings, rice shortage, and many others,” she said.

“The most recent one is the spread of fake news of a so-called “October revolution” plot borne out of paranoia,” she added.

The senator then asked the public to speak against the current administration’s alleged flaws.

“I call on our citizens: it is our moral duty to speak out. Sa pambabastos sa mga kababaihan, ang ilan ay tahimik. Nung sinabi ng Pangulo na siya ay papatay ng mga drug addict, ang ilan ay tahimik. Nung may mga pinaslang na mga miyembro ng kaparian, ang ilan ay tahimik. Nung unti-unti nang ibinenta sa Tsina ang ating mga isla, ang ilan ay tahimik,” Hontiveros explained.

The past week has been packed with issues involving the President and the whole government as well. On Tuesday, Malacañang released Proclamation 572 which nullified the amnesty given to Trillanes by former President Benigno Aquino III.

The following day, the Philippine Statistics Authority released the inflation rate for August, which was at 6.4 percent — a nine-year high since a 6.6 percent was recorded in March 2009.   /vvp