MALACAÑANG on Friday, August 31, assured that President Rodrigo Duterte's latest tirade against Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo would not influence the electoral protest lodged against her before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).
The President merely expressed a "personal belief" when he said the country would be in better hands with a dictator like the late despot Ferdinand Marcos than Robredo, whom he previously described as "incompetent," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. told a press conference.
"That's just the personal belief ni Presidente na (of the President that) almost anyone can be better than the Vice President. With all due respect to the Vice President, that's a personal assessment made by the President," Roque said.
In a speech in Cebu City on Thursday, August 30, Duterte reiterated his aversion to constitutional succession which would allow Robredo to succeed him should he step down before his term is over.
Duterte mocked Robredo's competence anew, saying the Philippines would be "better off choosing a dictator" than allowing the Vice President to assume the presidency.
"I said, you're better off choosing a dictator in the likes of Marcos. That is what I suggested. Pwede man kayong mag-constitutional succession (We can follow constitutional succession). It's Robredo but she cannot hack it," the President said.
It was not the first time that Duterte insulted Robredo. On August 15, Duterte said he would rather pick former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. or Senator Francis Escudero as his successor.
On August 16, Malacañang floated the possibility of Duterte stepping down from office, if Marcos wins the electoral protest against Robredo.
Marcos on June 29, 2016 questioned before the PET the May 9 poll results that proclaimed Robredo as the winner. The former senator lost to Robredo at the vice presidential race by 263,473 votes.
In his petition, Marcos claimed that the "flawed" automated election system, the "traditional" modes of cheating, and the unauthorized introduction of a new hashcode into the Transparency Server paved the way for Robredo's win.
Roque assured of fair ruling when it comes to the poll protest filed against Robredo.
"Not at all. Because you know the PET is conducting what is called the revisions of the ballot. So it's the ballots that will be speaking and not the justices individually," the Palace official said, when asked if Duterte's latest remarks would affect the pending case against Robredo.
"They are just going through the ballots to ascertain kung sino talaga ang binoto ng taumbayan para sa posisyon na bise presidente (who was really voted by the public for the vice president post)," he added. (SunStar Philippines)