Senate allies support Robredo after departure from Cabinet

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros said she backs Vice President Leni Robredo's decision to resign from President Rodrigo Duterte's Cabinet, calling it an "abusive and toxic relationship."

 

Hontiveros said that Robredo was not given enough support in her task as the chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council.

 

Robredo, through her office, said Sunday that the HUDCC's work was hampered by a P19-billion slash from the budgets of housing agencies in 2017, inaction on her shelter agency appointment recommendations and he an executive order to make HUDCC effective that remains unsigned.

 

"As if by design, she was intended to fail," Hontiveros, who ran under the Liberal Party-led coalition in the May polls, said in a released statement.

 

In a statement released Sunday night, Robredo declared that she would resign as President Duterte's housing chief effective December 5, after receiving a text from Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., telling her to stop attending the Cabinet meetings.

 

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

 

READ: Leni leaves Cabinet

 

Hontiveros said that the manner that Robredo was told to stop attending Cabinet meetings was in itself disrespectful.

 

"It was meant to show that she is unworthy of the chief executive's time and any serious consideration," Hontiveros said.

 

Hontiveros said that although the president has all the right to select and remove his Cabinet secretaries, Robredo was removed due to her opposition in several issues, including burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, the reimposition of the death penalty, a proposal to lower the age of criminal liability to 9 years old, and misogynistic attacks against women.

 

"She was punished for doing the right things," Hontiveros said.

 

"I stand with Vice President Robredo in her fight to defend human rights, freedom and democracy," Hontiveors added.

 

She also said that she will help safeguard the will of the people from those who want to "steal the vice presidency, rewrite history and restore a corrupt and authoritarian past."

 

Hontiveros added that she is confident the public is behind Robredo.

 

"The people will more than make up for the support President Duterte and his Cabinet failed to give her. Vice President Robredo has fallen from the Cabinet into the arms of the people," Hontiveros said.