President Duterte has asked Vice President Leni Robredo "not to add fuel to the fire" following her criticisms of the government's coronavirus response, saying his death won't solve the country's problems.
In his televised public address Tuesday, the President warned that destroying the government might only lead to the nation's ruin.
“Ito namang kay Leni in her ending statement said kung hindi ko raw gawin, ng gobyerno, gagawin ng tao. Well sa panahon ng pandemic, medyo desperado ang mga tao tapos dagdagan ninyo ng mga ganun. Wala naman kayo base, sana may ipakita kayo [Here comes Leni and her ending statement that if I, the government, will not do it, the people will take action. In this time of pandemic, people are desperate and you add these statements. You don't have any basis. You must show some), Duterte said in a taped address aired Tuesday.
"Please do not add fuel to the fire. You will just destroy the government. Huwag ninyo sirain ang gobyerno kasi masisira ang tao. Pag nasira ang gobyerno, lulutang tayong lahat (Do not destroy the government because the people will be destroyed. If the government is destroyed, we will all float)," he said.
Duterte added: "Maski sabihin ninyo mamatay ako bukas (Even if I die tomorrow), it cannot solve the problem of the country.”
Duterte issued the warning after Robredo reportedly criticized the alleged poor government leadership in addressing the pandemic during her public address Monday.
Robredo suggested to the government to boost public confidence and implement a comprehensive, quick, and clear plan to deal with the health emergency. She observed that some people felt they are left to fend for themselves in the face of the pandemic.
The government has been grappling with the coronavirus outbreak which has so far infected more than 190,000 people. It has stepped up efforts to trace, test, and treat people with the illness while relaxing lockdowns to revive the stalled economy and allow people to get back to work.