Robredo hits back at Panelo on WPS comments

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo has hit back at presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, saying her instincts as lawyer and mother “precisely” led her to raise her concerns over President Duterte’s latest remarks on the West Philippine Sea.

Robredo made the statement on Sunday, two days after Panelo advised her to be “more circumspect” and rely more on her instinct as a lawyer and mother in making comments on the Philippines’ legal victory in the South China Sea.

“We’re not just opposing for the sake of opposing, we make sure that as a public servant we have the obligation to raise our voice whenever bad things happen, even if they (Malacañang) get mad at us,” Robredo said over dzXL.

“The President’s statements (on the West Philippine Sea) have grave implicatizons and repercussions not just on us but on the future generations. Imagine, we have already fought for it and we will only give it up just for a deal with China,” Robredo said.

The Vice President earlier slammed Duterte’s pronouncement that he is ready to set aside the arbitral award – which invalidated China’s sweeping claim to nearly the entire South China Sea – to give way to joint oil and gas exploration with Beijing in Philippine waters.

“Why are the President and his administration the very ones who undermine our decisive victory before the arbitral tribunal in 2016 with remarks such as this?” Robredo said.

Duterte said Chinese President Xi Jinping had offered the Philippines a majority stake in the joint exploration if Manila would set aside the arbitral ruling.

Meanwhile, Robredo also urged Panelo and Duterte to stop making contradictory statements, which confuse the public even more.

She said the presidential spokesman should be better informed of exactly what Duterte has stated before presenting his own interpretation.

Robredo said Panelo’s “clarifications” only make things even more confusing to the people.

“They (public) are really confused, because what the President says is different from what his spokesperson says. The President said he will set aside the arbitral ruling but the spokesman said that’s not what the President means,” she said. “The people are really confused, that’s why we have to air our voice.”

But Panelo said Robredo was merely “finding fault in every word the President says.”  – With Alexis Romero, Rhodina Villanueva