Robredo: Meeting with Duterte reinforces message of support for him

President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo pose for the cameras after meeting privately for the first time at Malacañang. (Photos courtesy of the Leni Robredo Media Bureau)

MANILA — The country’s two top leaders have finally found time to talk in private.

Three days after their first meeting, Vice President Leni Robredo paid a courtesy visit to President Duterte at the Palace on Monday (July 4).

Robredo told the media later that the meeting was cordial and it served to reinforce her message of support to the Duterte administration.

Members of the media were not allowed to witness the much-anticipated event. Instead, the Radio Television Malacañang shared the video of the first two minutes of the meeting on Facebook.

The Palace and Robredo’s office also released official photographs of the meeting.

In the video, the Vice President was received by Special Assistant to the President Secretary Christopher Go before she was met by a smiling Mr. Duterte inside the study room of Malacañang.

Robredo, who was wearing a printed blazer over a blue dress, shook hands with the President, who was heard offering her snacks.

It was not immediately known how long the meeting lasted and what the two leaders discussed.

Shortly after they were proclaimed winners in the May 9 elections, Mr. Duterte made it know that he was not keen on including Robredo in his official family.

He said he would not designate her to a Cabinet post so as not to hurt former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his close friend who lost to Robredo in the vice presidential race by 263,000.  (Marcos Jr., son of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, has filed an electoral protest against Robredo.)

Robredo described her closed-door courtesy call on the President as “cordial.’’

“We’re happy that we had a chance to talk with our President,’’ she said in a statement last night.

“We assured the President of our full support for him because his victory is the victory of our country,’’ she added.

This was the second meeting between Robredo and Duterte since their election into office.

They first met at last Friday’s change of command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Camp Aguimaldo.

“From the start, we’ve been open to cooperating with the new administration, and our meeting with the President this afternoon reinforces this,’’ Robredo said.  SFM

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