MANILA, Philippines — “It did not matter whether it is a Cabinet post or not when I accepted the job.”
Vice President Leni Robredo said this Tuesday after President Rodrigo Duterte said his appointment of her as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) does not entail a Cabinet position.
“Yung sakin lang, pagtanggap ko ng trabaho, hindi nag-matter kung Cabinet post ‘yun o hindi. Basta sa akin, pagtanggap ko ng trabaho, talagang full steam ahead. First day pa lang ng pagtanggap ko, nagtrabaho na ako,” Robredo tod reporters following a community visit in Navotas City.
(For me, when I accepted the job, it did not matter whether it is a Cabinet post or not. For me, when I accepted the job, I went full steam ahead. Since Day One when I accepted the job, I already buckled down to work.)
“Papabayaan ko na lang sila kung hindi pa nagkakasundo kung ano talaga ang kaakibat ng assignment ko. Basta ako ginagawa ko ‘yung lahat whether member ako ng Cabinet or hindi,” the Vice President added.
(I will just let them if they still cannot agree about what my assignment requires of me. For me, I am doing everything whether I am a member of the Cabinet or not.)
Short of blaming Robredo for President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision not to give her a Cabinet rank, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo cited the Vice President’s “missteps” for talking to “enemies of the state” about the administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign. Panelo said this move by Robredo prompted Duterte no to make her a Cabinet member.
But Robredo said she does not understand why the Palace is so concerned over her meetings with foreign groups and officials.
Soon after accepting Duterte’s appointment of her as ICAD co-chair on November 6, Robredo had met with US officials as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
“Hindi ko naiintindihan kung bakit nababahala. Alam naman natin na ‘yung problema sa droga, lalo na sa supply, transnational,” Robredo said.
(I do not understand why they are so concerned. They know that the problem on drugs, especially in supply, is transnational.)
“Nanggagaling karamihan sa ibang bansa na kailangan tayo makipagtulungan sa ibang bansa [dahil] hindi natin kayang i-constrict ‘yung supply kung wala tayong pakikipagtulungan sa ibang bansa. Kaya napakahalaga ‘yung ating partnership with other governments,” she added.
(Most illegal drugs come from other countries that we need to coordinate with other countries [because] we cannot constrict the supply if we do not coordinate with other countries. That is why our partnership with other governments is very important.)