There is no need for President Duterte to threaten the United States in his bid to secure the US-made vaccine for the country, Vice President Leni Robredo said Sunday.
(OVP / Facebook / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Speaking in the first episode of her radio show this year, Robredo called Duterte’s remark upon the Philippines’ longtime ally “unnecessary.”
“Hindi ko alam kung bakit kinakailangang gawin iyon. Hindi naman tayo kailangang magbanta, ‘di ba (I don’t know why he had to do that. We don’t need to make a threat, right),” she said.
“Kung nasa ayos naman iyong programa natin sa procurement ng vaccine, bakit kailangang may bantaan tayong bansa (If we have a good program on the procurement of vaccine, why do we have to threaten a country)?” Robredo asked.
Duterte warned that he would boot out American soldiers from the Philippines by terminating the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the US if it can’t deliver the coronavirus disease vaccines.
He had earlier threatened to scrap the VFA when he was angered by the US decision to cancel the visa of Se. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa early last year.
Last June, Duterte shelved the agreement abrogation and renewed the decision last November.