Leni: Addressing critics a lost cause

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo does not want to address her critics because they are already a "lost cause."

In an interview with GMA's "News to Go" aired on Friday, the vice president said she no longer wants to give a message to her critics because they had already made judgments about her.

"Baka hindi na siguro, baka hindi na ako mame-message because I think it's a lost cause. It's a lost cause in the sense that hindi naman nila ako kilala, pero mayroon na silang judgment," Robredo answered when asked to give her message to her detractors.

However, she thanked those who were still open to listening to her side because these were individuals whose opinions could make them better public servants.

"Kung may nagawa akong mali, hindi rin tama kung mali na ang ginagawa natin pinupuri pa tayo," the vice president said.

The second highest official of the land also criticized the camp of Marcos, a defeated vice presidential candidate, for releasing false information to the media.

Robredo said, for example, that when the Supreme Court ordered the Commission on Elections to return unused SD cards to Smarmatic as agreed upon in the contract, the camp of Marcos claimed that the SD cards contained evidence of electoral fraud.  

"Obviously, it was for media consumption because when he was challenged by Atty. Macalintal, my lawyer, na if he would be able to prove that those SD cards would be able to contain that information, then we should be able to enter into an agreement na pag na-prove niya, i-susurrender ni Atty. Macalintal ang kanyang license," Robredo said.

On Marcos' poll protest

The vice president also reaffirmed her belief that the Supreme Court would be "fair and square" in deciding on Marcos' poll protest despite its earlier ruling allowing the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos, a dictator and human rights violater, at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

She emphasized that their camp didn't cheat during last year's election and therefore does not have anything to fear.

"Kailangan natin tiwalaan ang institusyon. Ako naniniwala ako although I cannot talk about the details of the case, naniniwala ako na pag nadesisyunan ang kaso, fair and square, wala naman kaming kailangang ikatakot," the former congresswoman from Camarines Sur said.

Vice President Robredo narrowly defeated Marcos by some 260,000 votes in the May 2016 election,  preventing the son of the late dictator from returning to power.

Robredo also admitted that she missed leading the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council. She said that she rued the chance to implement changes and plans in the housing sector of the country.

However, Robredo said that her loss of a Cabinet post didn't prevent her office from helping poor Filipinos. She said her office was busy being the "conduit" between private organizations and local government units which needed help.

"So ano lang kami, we make things happen parang being the conduit - para mag-meet kung sino ang nangangailangan, sino ang gusto magbigay ng tulong," Robredo said of her office's activities.

"Right now we adopted 50 LGUs across the country and these are 50 of the poorest, farthest, smallest LGUs," she added.

Robredo resigned from the Cabinet on December 4 last year after President Rodrigo Duterte, through a text message from Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco, told her to desist from attending Cabinet meetings. Officials of the president cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the order.