MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte was told to review the 1987 Constitution on Tuesday after he said that the vice president and senators have nothing to do with matters of foreign policy.
Duterte made the assertion on Monday night as he ranted against Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who criticized him over the weekend for telling the US to "pay" for the continuation of the Visiting Forces Agreement. Both Lacson and Robredo likened the president's remarks to extortion and urged him to take a more diplomatic tone.
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"What policy he wants to issue for the Philippines is vested in the president and not with the senators or the vice president," Duterte retorted partially in Filipino during a televised address meant to provide updates on the government's pandemic response.
"I'm telling you — [as with] so many other things in the past where you were wrong — I am telling you [that] you have nothing to do with this," he added, addressing Lacson specifically.
Lacson on Tuesday morning took to Twitter to respond: "Mr President, read the 1987 Constitution. A senator has something to do with international agreements."
Mr President, read the 1987 Constitution. A senator has something to do with international agreements:
Article VII SECTION 21. No treaty or international agreement shall be valid and effective unless concurred in by at least two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate.— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) February 15, 2021
He further quoted Article VII, Section 21, of the Charter: "No treaty or international agreement shall be valid and effective unless concurred in by at least two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate."
"That said, even an ordinary citizen of this country who feels embarrassed by [Duterte's] harsh, undiplomatic remarks concerning an existing bilateral agreement is guaranteed under the same Constitution to express his or her views," Lacson added in a statement sent to reporters. "[No one, not even Duterte], can curtail that basic right."
Sen. Risa Hontiveros during an interview with ANC's "Headstart" also reminded Duterte that Robredo is still a member of the executive branch "and may correctly pronounce on such issues."
"I don't appreciate VP Leni being told not to open her mouth," she added, quoting the president who told Robredo to stay silent during negotiations on the VFA.
"As per Senator [Lacson], the VFA flows from the Mutual Defense Treaty, and every lawyer worth his or her salt also knows that the Senate is the treaty-making body of our body," she added partially in Filipino.
"So Sen. Ping is well within his rights to speak about an executive agreement flowing from a treaty," Hontiveros said. "Sen. Ping, me, and the entire Senate are well within our rights to speak about that issue."
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri told CNN Philippines' "The Source" that while he agrees with Duterte that the Philippines does receive "the short end of the stick in getting assistance from our friends in USA," the sentiment "could have been said in a more diplomatic way."
Duterte said he could "forgive" Lacson for his comments and told him to consult a lawyer in his office next time. But he blasted Robredo who he said forgets that she is a lawyer "[e]very time she opens her mouth," and again called her unfit for the presidency.
Robredo camp: Why are the VP's suggestions always met with slander and ridicule?
Despite Duterte's remarks, Robredo's spokesman Barry Gutierrez said Robredo clearly understands what her responsibilities are.
"If she thinks there is something to criticize, she will criticize it. On the other hand, if she thinks there is something to be praised, she will do it because that is her view," he said during a radio interview with DZRH conducted in Filipino.
"She will say what he thinks is right, she will say what she thinks is true."
Gutierrez also lamented the Palace's continued hostility towards many of the vice president's suggestions.
"Whenever we talk about any issue, the answer is always the same. Instead of answering at the level of what you are really talking about, they give us back slander and ridicule."
"In truth, it's saddening, if you look at what the VP has done in the last 11 months since the lockdown and our problems began, she has done nothing but help our countrymen," he added in Filipino.