(Eagle News)– President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday (December 5) has accepted Vice President Leni Robredo’s resignation after almost five months of working in his Cabinet.
“It is with a heavy heart that I accept the resignation of Vice President Leni Robredo,” Duterte said.
In an earlier statement, Presidential Communications secretary Martin Andanar said Duterte had lost confidence in Robredo but would not resort to unseating her as Vice-President which he dismissed as pure “speculation”.
“That’s speculation coming from the camp of the Vice President… Our job is to implement the policies of the President,” Andanar said during a television interview.
Andanar insisted there had been “irreconcilable differences” between the Duterte and Robredo such as the so-called extrajudicial killings and the burial of former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
“If you’re a Cabinet member, if you serve at the pleasure of the President, you have to build his confidence in you,” Andanar added.
Robredo has submitted her resignation letter on Monday as HUDCC chair, admitting that working in the Cabinet has become untenable.
Robredo has prompted to resign after receiving a text message from Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco Jr. to desist from attending Cabinet meetings starting December 5.
Robredo had opposed Duterte’s decision to bury Marcos at Libingan ng mga Bayani. She also criticized the drug-related killings and called for a probe for the killings.
Andanar said several Cabinet members were concerned about Robredo’s pronouncements on issues that are opposing the President’s.
“There have been some murmurings in the Cabinet about the statements of the Vice President the past few months and it did not sit well with some members of the Cabinet,” he said.