LUCENA CITY—An activist priest came to the defense of Vice President Leni Robredo after President Rodrigo Duterte fired the country’s second highest official from a key role in the campaign against illegal drugs.
Fr. Robert Reyes, known as running priest for drawing attention to his causes by running, said he believed Duterte feared what Robredo would find out if the Vice President stayed long as vice chair of the Interagency Anti-Drug Committee (Icad), a position which Robredo held for barely two weeks.
Reyes, in an online interview, said Robredo “spends her time diligently looking for the truth about the reality of the drug problem and trafficking in the country”.
Reyes accused Duterte and his allies of spending their time “doing the opposite—covering up the truth.”
He said if Duterte had been serious in appointing Robredo, “instead of panic, he would have appreciated VP Leni’s willingness to do the work.”
On Monday, Duterte cited another reason for firing Robredo from Icad after appointing her there on Oct. 31.
“The more she she stays with Icad, the higher the risk of her committing blunder, the more people will be wondering: What really is the truth?” Duterte said.
But Reyes said Duterte’s rant was just another manifestation of “arrogance of power, which tends to bloat egos out of proportion and blur minds and consciences.”