Leni Robredo quits Duterte Cabinet

Vice President Leni Robredo is stepping down as chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).

The decision was announced on Sunday night, with Robredo to tender her resignation on Monday.

"We had hoped this day would not come... I am tendering my resignation from the Cabinet on Monday, December 5, 2016. With this resignation, you can expect that I will continue to support the positive initiatives of this administration and oppose those that are inimical to the people’s interest," she said in a statement posted on her Twitter account.

Robredo mentioned in her statement that she had been warned of a plot to steal the vice presidency from her.

I have been warned of a plot to steal the Vice Presidency. I will not allow the Vice Presidency to be stolen.
READ: https://t.co/U0umqy795F pic.twitter.com/1dLa9eJ8ID

— Leni Robredo (@lenirobredo) December 4, 2016

Robredo, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte over the phone in July to head the housing agency, said she decided to quit as Housing Secretary after receiving a text message from Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco Jr. that Duterte wanted her to "desist from attending all Cabinet meetings starting Monday, December 5."

"This is the last straw, because it makes it impossible for me to perform my duties," she said.

Robredo also cited "major differences" between her and Duterte "in principles and values."

"Since I assumed office, I have been consistent in my opposition to issues such as the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, extra-judicial killings, reinstating death penalty, lowering the age of criminal liability, and sexual attacks against women," she said.

She added: "But we both had a mandate to serve the people. I had hoped that this shared commitment to the poor and marginalized would transcend the differences between us. So, I took the job of Housing Secretary when it was offered to me."

The Vice President also cited "obstacles" in the HUDCC.

"One, the budget for all key shelter agencies in 2017 has been slashed by more than P19 billion. Two, all our key shelter agency appointment recommendations have not been acted on. Three, the Executive Order designed to make HUDCC effective was not signed," she said.

The head of the Governance Commission for Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations quit his post last October, the first resignation among Cabinet members of Duterte.

On Tuesday last week, National Historical Commission of the Philippines chairperson Maria Serena Diokno resigned from her post in protest of the burial of Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

'Irreconcilable differences'

In separate radio interviews, Evasco and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar also cited the "irreconcilable differences" between Duterte and Robredo.

"Wala akong detalye, basta sinabi lang ni Presidente, irreconcilable differences. Tsaka alam naman ng Pilipinas, ng tao ano ang irreconcilable differences nila. Ang mga issue ngayon, si Presidente [nandito] at si VP, sa kabila naman parati," said Evasco.

Andanar said in a statement that as a Cabinet member, Robredo was expected to be a team player.

"Recent events, however, showed the differences between the President and the Vice President as becoming irreconcilable and public," he said.

He said they have yet to receive a resignation letter from Robredo.

"The Vice President has served our people for many years in various capacities and we wish her to continue this unhampered service to the nation to the best of her abilities," Andanar said.

Evasco said they are still not yet looking for Robredo's replacement, but said that when the time comes, the Duterte Cabinet would be "constrained to look for" a replacement.

"[For now] wala naman [kapalit]... tsaka wala naman instruction for her to be terminated sa position. Whatever decision she takes, that's her prerogative," he said.

"I think it's part of the normal administration. If they cannot side with what the President is doing, then they have to resign," Evasco said.

Evasco remained confident that despite her departure from the Cabinet, Robredo would still "be figuring in other important positions, being [the] second highest official."

'Defend Leni, defend democracy'

Liberal Party acting president Sen. Francis Pangilinan said that while they are "saddened" by it, they support Robredo's decision.

"We believe the Vice President should have been treated with greater respect. Nakakalungkot ang mga pangyayari," Pangilinan said in a statement.

"Ngayon, mas kailangan natin ang suporta ng mga nagmamahal sa ating demokrasya. Defend Leni, defend democracy," he added.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes had harsher words for the administration. "I'm so glad it did happen sooner than later," he said of Robredo's resignation from the Cabinet. "Otherwise, she would have been tainted by the Duterte Administration's politics of death, divisiveness, deceit and impunity."

In another statement, Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat noted that Duterte's instruction to Robredo not to attend Cabinet meetings "is tantamount to asking her to resign or firing her." —with Mark Merueñas and Trisha Macas/ALG/BM, GMA News