Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman. INQUIRER.net file photo / NOY MORCOSO
MANILA, Philippines — The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte was “only looking for excuses to really dispose” of Vice President Leni Robredo from her post as co-chair of the government’s anti-drug body, a lawmaker said Monday.
“You know, they’re only looking for excuses to really dispose of her,” opposition congressman and Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.
“I also think the President was just trying to see an opportune time for him to really get rid of the Vice President in this new role as anti-drugs czar,” he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte fired Robredo from her post as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) more than two weeks after she accepted her appointment.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that Duterte’s move to sack Robredo was a response to the dare of the opposition to fire her due to a lack of trust.
Panelo claimed Robredo wasted an opportunity and used the post “as a platform to attack the methods” undertaken by the Duterte administration.
‘Juvenile reason’
“If in fact there was a project for her to fail, then anytime would be opportune [to remove her] because they can always invent reasons. According to Malacañang, the President dismissed her because Vice President Robredo taunted him to fire her, that is a very juvenile motive and reason for firing the number two official of the country,” Lagman pointed out.
“They also said that the vice president embarrassed the country by meeting with international leaders from the United Nations…But they did not say how the vice president embarrassed the country,” he added.