I always pray for the President — Leni

MANILA, Philippines — Despite repeated attacks against her, Vice President Leni Robredo said she always prays for President Duterte.

“I always pray for the President because we rely on his leadership, his failure is our failure as well,” Robredo told reporters in Naga City on Friday.

The opposition leader said she constantly prays to God that He will continue to give Duterte guidance and strength for the betterment of the country.

Duterte has repeatedly belittled Robredo’s capabilities to govern the country should she become president.

He said he prefers a military junta or the likes of Sen. Francis Escudero or former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to succeed him.

Marcos, son and namesake of the late dictator, has filed an electoral protest against Robredo.

Robredo, in a speech during the 2018 Ramon Magsaysay Awards ceremony on Aug. 31, said compassionate leadership and not dictatorship transforms people’s lives.

“Quiet courage and empathy and leaders that put in the hard work of actually transforming the lives of people are rarities in these times when dictatorship is claimed by some to be better,” she said, in an apparent swipe at Duterte.

The President earlier said the Philippines would be better off in the hands of dictators like the late father of Marcos.

Duterte had alleged that Robredo’s hometown, Naga City, was a hotbed of illegal drugs, which the Vice President denied.

‘May you all die’

In Davao City, President Duterte yesterday wished all priests to die of “venereal disease” after one of them said he wanted him to get sick during a mass held at the Senate for Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV earlier this week.

The President said priests are the “most hypocritical” people in the Philippines today.

“When our religion was lambasted and our God was disrespected, our Church tells us to pray. I said OK, I’ll pray, so I prayed that Digong (Duterte) would get sick,” Fr. Manuel Gatchalian joked.