Robredo hits DOJ chief for spreading fake news

TAYSAN, BATANGAS—Vice President Leni Robredo hit Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II for eroding the public’s trust in his department by spreading fake news which he also used to make accusations of criminal actions.

Robredo was referring to Aguirre’s recent attempt to link opposition lawmakers to the Marawi City siege via a photograph showing senators meeting with Moro leaders in Marawi in May shortly before the attack.

But it later turned out that the photograph of Senators Bam Aquino and Antonio Trillanes IV was taken in 2015 in Iloilo City.

“We have a Department of Justice whose head is saying things that are not true. I think it’s scary because it’s the Department of Justice that is supposed to lead in making sure justice will prevail over all of us,” she told reporters here.

“If he tells false things, the people’s trust in the institution is lost, not only in him but in the institution,” the former Camarines Sur representative said.

“Lately, we hear a lot of [officials] challenging the powers of each other. We hear things like, ‘I won’t listen to this or that.’ I think that’s scary,” she said.

In May, Mr. Duterte said he would not listen to the Supreme Court or Congress on the implementation of martial law in Mindanao although both enjoyed a constitutional mandate to review his actions.

But he backtracked last week and said he would respect the Supreme Court’s decision on martial law.

Robredo said she found it “scary” that “when government agencies or government instrumentalities don’t believe in what’s written in the Constitution.”

“It’s democracy itself that is being challenged,” she said.

Robredo, the nominal leader of the Liberal Party who left Mr. Duterte’s Cabinet as housing secretary last December, said the country was already facing too many problems for its officials to be so preoccupied with politics.

“Now is not the time to talk of politics. It is not the time to be talking about whether one is my ally or not, or whether our politics is the same or not. We should be guarding democracy and all the institutions,” she said.

On her own role as an opposition figure, Robredo said she was not the type to oppose everything the administration would do or say.

“I don’t see myself as an opposition to all the policies of the government, because I always say we need to be supportive of the administration because that’s what the times call for,” she said.

“But on things I don’t agree with, I also need to give voice to my concerns. I think this is the more important partnership. This is the more important role I should play,” Robredo said.

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