MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday assured Vice President Leni Robredo that she will be able to finish her six-year term.
"I will assure Leni and the rest of the Bicol region that you will have her until the very end of her term," Duterte said after the groundbreaking rites for the Bicol International Airport.
Citing a "trusted source," Robredo's camp recently raised concern over an alleged plan to recount votes to prove former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr, and not Robredo, won the vice presidential race.
"The objective is to steal the vice presidency from VP Leni," Georgina Hernandez, Robredo's spokesperson, said in a statement.
READ: Leni worried over alleged VP vote recount
In June, Marcos accused the Aquino administration of "robbing" about three million votes from him during the May 2016 elections. He filed an electoral protest against Robredo.
The Marcos camp requested a recount of votes in 22 provinces and five cities, and to nullify election results from Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Basilan.
President Duterte, meanwhile, said there is no such thing as removing a vice president from office, while questioning what fault she committed to deserve.
"Wala kang crime? Just stay there for a while," Duterte said.