Sen. Leila de Lima said today that Vice President Leni Robredo’s recent public address showed the clarity of her thought and ability to confront the COVID-19 pandemic.
"VP Leni’s pandemic-focused public address was for (President) Duterte, a move to destroy the government,” De Lima said in a statement.
“Kung salita lang pala ang gigiba sa gobyernong ito, gaya ng paratang ni Duterte sa Bise Presidente, wasak na wasak na ang pamahalaan sa apat na taon pa lang ni Duterte na puros pro-China, kawalanghiyaan, pananakot, at kabastusan (If words can destroy this government, just like what Duterte accused the Vice President, then this government is already destroyed in the last four years with Duterte’s pro-China policy, impertinence, intimidation, and insolence),” she said.
Compared to Duterte, De Lima said Robredo’s thought, the coherence of her action points, and her ability to confront the pandemic with the objectivity of science and pragmatism of common sense, plus her elegance of expression and inspiring presence, are completely different from Duterte's nocturnal press conferences.
“Ito at ang Pluto ang layo! That is not simply a stylistic difference in governance approach. There’s also a stark difference between a people’s leader and a crisis enabler,” she pointed out.
Duterte criticized Robredo’s address and told her not to “add fuel to the fire.”