MANILA, Philippines — The spokesman of Vice President Leni Robredo was not having any of what he deemed as “lies” of presidential mouthpiece Harry Roque, who claimed Wednesday that the second-highest leader of the country became a mere “decor” in the Duterte administration because she opted to lead the opposition.
On Twitter, Atty. Barry Gutierrez did a fact-checking on Roque’s remarks – even showing a “receipt” or photo to debunk the claims of President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman.
“Ayoko na sanang patulan pero sobrang sinungaling eh,” Gutierrez tweeted Wednesday. “‘Pinili’ daw ni VP Leni na umalis sa Gabinete para maging lider ng oposisyon. Hay naku, magsisinungaling na lang andali pang hulihin.”
Ayoko na sanang patulan pero sobrang sinungaling eh. "Pinili" daw ni VP Leni na umalis sa Gabinete para maging lider ng oposisyon. Hay naku, magsisinungaling na lang andali pang hulihin. Resibo: pic.twitter.com/HlqGxnhvDw
— Barry Gutierrez (@barrygutierrez3) July 21, 2021
The photo of the supposed text message of then-Cabinet Secretary Leoncio “Jun” Evasco Jr. to Robredo indicated an instruction for the Vice President to “desist from attending all Cabinet meetings” as directed by the President himself through long-time Duterte aide Bong Go.
This was in 2016, when Robredo was appointed head of the government’s Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council. She consequently resigned after receiving the message from Evasco.
Robredo was also appointed as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs in 2019. However, she was almost immediately fired by Duterte.
READ: Duterte fires Robredo as drug czar
Roque’s pronouncements earlier Wednesday stemmed from Robredo’s remark that she would not treat Duterte the way he treated her if they were to switch positions after the 2022 national elections.
Duterte has hinted about running for vice president in 2022 multiple times, the most recent of which was when he said he would run for the second-highest post to escape possible lawsuits after he steps down as president.
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