MANILA, Philippines -Vice President Leni Robredo laughed off on Sunday the sedition and other complaints filed against her and stressed that it would be foolish to imagine or plot the ouster of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Leni Robredo
Robredo said that she is busy with her advocacies and work across country, so thinking about ousting the President is a form of stupidity.
“Nakakatawa talaga kasi unang una, hindi naman tayo sobrang bobo na nag-iimagine tayo na mapapataob natin ang napaka… ang Presidente na napakataas ang rating na gagamitin itong isang tao na obviously sinungaling. Iyon iyong number one,” Robredo said in his weekly radio program.
(It is really funny because first of all, I am not foolish or stupid to think of unseating the President who has a very high trust rating)
“Number two: sa gitna pa talaga ng kampanya? Hindi na nga tayo magkanda-ugaga at kulang na kulang iyong panahon, kulang na kulang ng panahon para makaikot sa bansa, talagang ang aatupagin pa natin pagpataob ng Presidente? Parang hindi naman tayo ganoon katanga,” she added.
(Secondly, right in the middle of the campaign? We are very busy going around the country and with a hectic schedule, I won’t have time thinking of overthrowing the President. I don’t think I’m that stupid)
Robredo issued the remarks after the Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, last week, filed sedition and other complaints against her and 35 others last Thursday over the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” video linking President Duterte’s family and allies to the illegal drugs trade.
READ: Sedition case filed vs Robredo, 35 others over ‘Bikoy’ videos
According to Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez, the authorities used the loophole under the sedition law in filing the complaint against the vice president.
“Unang-una, iyang inciting to sedition, isa iyan sa mga pinaka-malabong probisyon ng ating batas. Basically, kung may sinabi ka na hindi gusto ng gobyerno o nakakapanghina, supposedly, sa tiwala ng gobyerno, puwede ka na sampahan niyan,” Gutierrez said.
“Noong panahon ng martial law, iyan ang ginagamit laban sa mga kritiko ng administrasyon. So, hindi nakakagulat na iyan ang gagawing sandata laban doon sa mga hindi nagugustuhan ng gobyerno,” he added.
READ: Loophole in sedition law was used to file raps vs Robredo – spox
Aside from Robredo, incumbent opposition senators Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros, former senators Bam Aquino and Antonio Trillanes IV, and members of the defeated Otso Diretso senate slate in the midterm elections, namely lawyers Chel Diokno, Romulo Macalintal, former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, Samira Gutoc, and former lawmakers Erin Tañada and Gary Alejano were also named as respondents.
READ: Hontiveros on sedition raps: ‘Badly written telenovela
Likewise included in the complaint are former Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Socrates Villegas and incumbent CBCP Vice President Archbishop Pablo Virgilio S. David, running priest Fr. Robert Reyes, Frs. Flaviano Villanueva, Albert E. Alejo, Bishops Honesto Ongtioco and Teodoro Bacani Jr.
READ: CBCP president says bishops inclusion in sedition case is ‘beyond belief’
Others named in the complaint are incumbent national president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Domingo Egon Cayosa, former IBP president Abdiel Dan Elijah Fajardo, human rights lawyer Atty. Theodore Te, Yolanda Villanueva Ong, former education secretary Armin A. Luistro, Boom Enriquez, Vicente Romano III, Danilo Songco, Joel Saracho, former police officer Eduardo Acierto, a certain Atty. Chito, Atty. Serafin Salvador and Carmelita Salvador. /gsg