President-elect Rodrigo Duterte (right) said it never crossed his mind to give Vice President-elect Leni Robredo a position in his Cabinet. KARLOS MANLUPIG / INQUIRER FILES
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—President elect Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he is also shutting the door of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) on Vice President-elect Leni Robredo.
In a press conference at the presidential guest house here Thursday night, Duterte was asked if he would give the NAPC post, which Robredo had also wanted to head, to the vice president elect.
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Duterte said he would give the NAPC to another woman, but from the Left.
He had earlier opened his Cabinet post to three other leftists—former Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano as Agrarian Reform Secretary, activist University of the Philippines Prof. Judy Taguiwalo as Social Welfare Secretary, and former Anakpawis Rep. Joel Maglungsod as Labor Undersecretary.
They were among those recommended by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF) to be members of the Duterte Cabinet.
READ: NDF: Left satisfied with two Cabinet posts
Duterte had opened his Cabinet to the Left in a bid to pave the way for the resumption of the botched peace talks with the communist-led NDF.
“I’ll give it to the Left. I have the recommendation from the left side that I’ll give it to them. I’m willing to concede to them the anti-poverty commission,” Duterte said.
Duterte said he would give the commission to the Left when asked if he would heed the call of his economist that Robredo be given the post.
Duterte’s chosen National Economic Development Authority chief Ernesto Pernia said Robredo as an economics graduate would be better fit for the job, according to an ANC report.
Pernia in the report said he had asked Duterte’s chosen Finance Sec. Sonny Dominguez to make the recommendation to Duterte.
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Robredo had wanted to serve in a Cabinet post where she could streamline the government’s anti-poverty efforts.
Duterte said he is non-committal about giving Robredo a Cabinet post because he is close friends with Sen. Bongbong Marcos, who lost to Robredo in the vice presidential race.
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Robredo, the widow of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo who died in a plane crash in 2012, defeated Marcos Jr. in the vice presidential race.
Robredo won with 14,418,817 votes or just 263,473 votes apart from Marcos who got 14,155,344. Marcos’ camp is mulling an electoral protest, alleging massive cheating. TVJ