De Lima to Duterte: Declare you’re ‘unable to discharge functions,’ let Robredo take over
MANILA, Philippines—Opposition Senator Leila De Lima has urged President Rodrigo Duterte to officially declare he is unable to discharge his functions as Chief Executive to let Vice President Leni Robredo take over.
De Lima said this as she called on Duterte to “stay true” to his challenge to Robredo to be his drug czar for six months to prove that she is “better” than him.
“I throw back Duterte’s challenge at him. Follow the Constitution. Transmit to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives your written declaration that you are unable to discharge the powers and duties of your office, and let VP Robredo take over,” De Lima said in a statement.
According to De Lima, that is the only “manly way” for Duterte to stay true to his challenge for Robredo to takeover his drug war.
Duterte recently lashed out at Robredo for her recent call on the government to re-assess its campaign against illegal drugs that has taken the lives of thousands of drug suspects.
The President even offered to put Robredo in charge of law enforcement for six months to prove that she can do better.
He even claimed that he has already directed Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to transmit a formal letter to Robredo, informing her of his decision to let her takeover law enforcement.
“Duterte must first relinquish his post entirely to VP Robredo, who will then be Acting President throughout the over-acting phase of Duterte’s spoiled brat persona, and not only take over law enforcement functions,” De Lima said.
The senator pointed out that Duterte has again resorted to attacking Robredo, the opposition leader, because he “cannot admit that he miserably failed the millions of Filipino people who believed in his fake promise to rid the country of illegal drugs in six months.”
“You failed. And now you mock VP Robredo when you were the one who bragged everything is solvable with the 6-month Duterte formula of wishing that things would just fix themselves by the sheer power of your stupid jokes and equally idiotic ramblings,” she said.
“Niloko mo mga tao na six months solb lahat ng problema. Ngayon hinahamon mo si VP Leni na gawin ang hindi mo nagawa? Sino ba ang nangako sa taumbayan na ayusin ang Pilipinas sa loob ng anim na buwan?” she added.
As early as the beginning of his term in 2016, Duterte promised to step down if he could not rid the country of drugs and criminality after three to six months.
De Lima reminded Duterte that it is not the Vice President’s fault that he “miserably failed” his war on drugs.
“To challenge VP Robredo to succeed where you failed? Aba, wala sa usapan yan. Kasalanan ba ni VP Robredo kung saksakan ka ng yabang? Eh ang totoo pala ay wala ka naman palang lakas o kakayahan para tuparin ang iyong salita,” she said.
READ: Duterte dares Robredo: Lead drug war
Since taking power in 2016, Duterte has made the crackdown on illegal drugs the focal point of his administration, continuing the brutal campaign against illegal drugs which he used in Davao City while being its mayor.
Local and international human rights watchdogs have expressed their opposition to Duterte’s drug war, citing alleged violations of human rights, which the government vehemently denied.
Over 5,500 individuals have been killed in the government’s crackdown against illegal narcotics, data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency revealed. But human rights groups have counted that as much as 27,000 lives have been claimed by the drug war death and by unknown hitmen. /je
