A vice presidency in jeopardy

Over the last few days there has been a flurry of activity concerning our Vice President Leni Robredo. To be honest, these problems began months ago – since the elections actually – but are really only coming to head in the past few days. I suppose tension has been building up since May and it is now at the point of bubbling over. For the sake of the country I hope it doesn’t, but realistically we are at a point where something has got to give.

It’s no secret that President Duterte and VP Leni Robredo don’t see eye to eye. This has been a problem that they have run into over and over again since they were elected into office. And I don’t think it has anything to the fact that they come from opposing political parties. They have a strong difference of opinion and they are both not afraid of saying how they feel.

If you look at it objectively, one would think that this is a good thing. There should always be a system of checks and balances in place and those who may not have voted for President Duterte in May felt a bit of comfort knowing that someone like Vice President Robredo was on board to make sure he didn’t cross the line. On paper, it was a solid partnership that should have yielded good results. The reality though was quite the opposite.

Over the months since Duterte has been in office it seems that the president prefers to surround himself with people who will not question his actions and just say “yes” to whatever he says. It’s no secret he would have preferred to have a VP that was on his “team.” Unfortunately that was not the case this time around, and he has repeatedly expressed his disappointment when Robredo questioned his war on drugs or his stand on the Marcos burial.

That in itself is probably one of the biggest issues concerning Duterte-Robredo. President Duterte has never seen Vice President Robredo as his partner or even as his equal. He made it clear coming into the office that he wished he had won along with his running mate Alan Peter Cayetano or even his good friend Bongbong Marcos. In fact, Duterte had quite looked forward to a partnership with Marcos and he was quite verbal in calling Marcos his would-be VP.

That mind frame alone would have made it difficult for Robredo to find a place for herself in Duterte’s administration. Add to that, the fact that she is a strong and opinionated woman and it was a recipe for disaster. From the moment they began working together the way Duterte treated Robredo was not ideal and not befitting a relationship of two professionals working hard to do what is best for the country.

To be fair I don’t believe the animosity comes from Leni even though it would be perfectly understandable if it did. In the time she has been working in this administration she has been treated like an afterthought, left out of most decisions, and even reduced to the clothes she wears or the way her knees look. It’s almost laughable and I would clearly understand if she held resentment towards the current government. However, in true Robredo fashion she just kept her head down and tried to do her job to the best of her ability.

That’s not to say she didn’t speak out when she felt the president was acting out of turn. She made her position quite known on extrajudicial killings and she protested along with many Filipinos against the burial of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. She stood up for her beliefs even though she knew it might cause a problem between her and the president.

And sure enough, it did cause a problem. The other day, Leni announced her resignation from Duterte’s cabinet as the chairperson of Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC). Citing a text message she received that told her to “desist from attending cabinet meetings” starting this week. It’s been funny because she said if she was going to be unable to do her job she felt it best to resign while some people from Duterte’s camp said that through the message she was effectively “fired”. Yesterday Duterte’s spokesman said he was surprised by her withdrawal. Just goes to show that a good lack of communication is really a problem in this administration.

Leni leaving Duterte’s cabinet due to “irreconcilable differences” is one thing, but it’s worrisome because it seems like just another step in a grander scheme. Many have said that Duterte is “paying back” Marcos little by little – the burial of his late father was just another confirmation that their friendship is strong and carrying over in an official capacity. Even before the Libingan ng mga Bayani issue Duterte and Marcos were close. Duterte was even quoted as saying that should he not be able to fulfill his campaign promises he would gladly step down for VP Marcos. And these days he talks about Marcos as the country’s next Vice President. As if it were already a done deal.

If I were Robredo I would be scared. A recount is one thing but there is no way to ensure that it will be above board and completely fair. As far as the Supreme Court goes I think we know where they stand when it comes to issues with the Marcos family. It may sound like a big conspiracy but it’s very possible that in this game of chess, all the pieces have fallen into place perfectly to give Bongbong the Vice Presidency and maybe even the presidency afterwards.

Now is the time for vigilance. For all of us who voted for Robredo and voted for a system of checks and balances have to be on high alert. The vice presidency is in jeopardy and the only thing that stands in the way of it getting “stolen” are the people. We need to stand watch now more than ever.