President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo (INQUIRER PHOTOS)
If given the opportunity to personally talk with President Rodrigo Duterte, Vice President Leni Robredo said she planned to discuss the former’s decision to allow the burial of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“‘Pag may pagkakataon, kakausapin ko si Pangulo. Ngayon lang kasi walang pagkakataon. Ako, ilalatag (ko) lang. He knows I’ve been vocal about it,” Robredo said at a press conference on Tuesday in the Quezon City Reception House.
Although Robredo remained hopeful that Duterte would change his mind, she said she was fully aware that she could not just influence the President, a known friend of the Marcos family, to take back his decision to give the late strongman the honor of a hero’s burial.
“Alam ko naman ang limitasyon ko. Tingin ko wala naman akong persuasive power over him,” she said.
“Siyempre gaya ko, gaya ng ibang mga nag-o-oppose, umaasa na magpapalit pa siya ng isip. But we can only second guess kung ano ang mangyayari in the coming days,” Robredo added.
Despite protests from several groups, Duterte remained firm in his decision and instructed military officials to prepare for the burial of Marcos.
Robredo, who is currently facing an electoral fraud case from Marcos’ son and namesake and defeated vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., said the dictator’s burial would greatly impact the lives of Filipinos, particularly those who suffered from abuses under his regime.
“Parating iyong hopes ko hanggang sa last day na magpapalit pa rin ng isip. Kahit ano naman ang desiyson lalo na kung hindi nagpalit ng isip, malaki ang epekto. Malaki ang epekto in the sense na, lalong lalo na yung nakilaban sa diktaturya, talagang mabigat siyang dalhin kasi parang napapapunta sa wala yung lahat ng ipinaglaban,” she said.