The Malacañang insisted that Bongbong Marcos was not a factor in banning Vice President Robredo in Cabinet meetings.
The Malacañang Palace emphasized on Tuesday that former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was not a factor in banning Vice President Leni Robredo in attending the Cabinet meetings.
Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella clarified that the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to ban her in Cabinet meetings was rather because of her “political actions” and not her political affiliation, much more not because of Marcos.
Robredo, after resigning from her post in the Duterte Cabinet as chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), suspected that the President is clearing the way for Bongbong, who joined him in his official visit to China last month and introduced him as his vice president.
“There are members of the Cabinet who do not want me there, but Bongbong Marcos instead”, said the Vice President who won over Marcos in the vice presidential race last May general elections.
Robredo said that when Bongbong was introduced as the Philippines’ vice president during the China trip, she felt bad but “endured all of these”. She also added that “they are trying to ease me out. There is no longer sense”.
Robredo has been vocal in opposing the burial of Bongbong’s father, the late former President Ferdinand Marcos, at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB), which pushed through despite protests and petitions before the Supreme Court.
In a press conference on December 6, Tuesday, Secretary Abella said that he supposed that President Duterte felt uncomfortable with Vice President Robredo’s engagement with certain political actions.
Secretary Abella, however, did not specify the political actions that compelled the President to ban Robredo from attending Cabinet meetings, saying that he cannot speculate on that because the Chief Executive did not mention any.
Robredo was replaced by Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. as HUDCC chairman.
