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| Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. |
John F Kennedy was a politician who embodied the spirit of self-sacrifice for the greater good. He fought bravely in World War II before serving in the Senate and in 1963 he gave his life while serving his country.
Can the same be said of Leni Robredo? Is she a self-sacrificing politician seeking the greater good of the Philippines?
1. Her constant agitating against the current President shows a disdain for her office and its functions.
MISSION:
As the second highest public office in the land, the Office of the Vice President shall work for the welfare of the Filipino people and contribute to nation-building, economic development and political stability by fostering fidelity to the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines and upholding the highest standard of professionalism in the civil service.
With her constant agitating against Duterte she is subverting the stated mission of the office of Vice President which is to “work for…political stability.” Filipinos are deeply divided along party lines and her rhetoric does nothing to encourage unity. Her constant haranguing of the President along party lines is neither professional nor conducive to fostering political stability.
2. Her support of disgraced senator Leila De Lima is in direct contradiction to her executive function as Vice President.
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION:The Vice President is mandated to ensure that laws are faithfully executed.
Leila De Lima has been charged with serious crimes related to drug trafficking. These charges were investigated before the Senate and were broadcast on television before the entire nation. To insist that De Lima is a political prisoner rather than a prisoner duly charged with crimes and to not insist her fellow Yellow Party member keep a low profile and focus on beating these charges is nothing more than an attempt to subvert her duty of seeing that the laws are faithfully executed.
3. Her opposition to the burial of Ferdinand Marcos in the cemetery he is legally entitled to be buried in is also in contradiction to her executive function of seeing that the laws are faithfully executed. The proper burial of the body of Marcos is also a flashpoint of tension between herself and Duterte.
Robredo, 51, cited the Marcos burial as one issue on which she would be a “stronger voice” now she had quit Duterte’s cabinet.
http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/29/16/duterte-leni-joining-anti-marcos-burial-protest-was-last-straw
Think about that. Robredo's stubbornness and defiance over the burial of a dead body is allowing former dictator Marcos to literally continue dictating and dividing the Filipino people from beyond the grave.
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| Dead dictator dictating from beyond the grave |
4. Bringing her opposition to Duterte before the United Nations and airing out the dirty political laundry of the Philippines for all the world to smell is in direct violation of her ceremonial function.
CEREMONIAL FUNCTION:
The Vice President performs ceremonial functions through meetings with representatives of foreign governments. He represents the Philippine government in official gatherings and receives foreign dignitaries, ambassadors, foreign investors, and other foreign officials.
Needless to say she has disgraced herself and the country before the entire world by stating "facts" that are not true and painting a picture of the Philippines that is so bleak that no foreign investor in his right mind would invest in the Philippines. Her video statement to the UN is an admission that the Philippines is weak and cannot reign in the alleged lawlessness of the President on its own without foreign intervention.
Does the Philippines need foreign intervention to handle internal affairs? What other reason besides foreign intervention can there be for Yellow Party members to repeatedly appeal to international law and the international media in their tirades against Duterte?
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| Does the Philippines need UN peacekeeping troops to stop Duterte? |
In short Robredo has not been a faithful representative of the Philippines to either foreign governments or foreign investors.
5. Her constant agitation not just against President Duterte's policies but against him personally shows a complete disdain for the Filipino people who elected him to office.
Duterte was blunt and forceful in laying out his vision for the Philippines during the election. To think the people were stupid or duped is nonsense. They knew exactly who they were voting for including allegations of death squads. The president has been elected and the job of the Senate, the House, and the Vice President is not to attempt every play in the book to have him impeached or ousted but to work with him for the good of the Philippines.
This does not mean they must be at 100% agreement with all he is doing. It means at the barest a seeking after unity, something that Leni Robredo has not sought and that the Yellow Party would avoid at all cost except amongst their own ranks.
6. Leni Robredo made many campaign promises to improve the life of the poor.
a minimum monthly allowance of P2000 for the barangay volunteers who work to maintain the surroundings
scholarships for the laborers’ children, Philhealth coverage, and access to micro-financing - for those who are willing to start their own business
monthly pensions to the elderly who have been serving and volunteering in the barangay for a long time
creating more jobs to give opportunities to poor communities
address malnutrition and hunger by creating a wider variety of feeding programs for children and providing a sustainable lifestyle for the producers
To date she has done nothing to implement these promises. And how could she? Not only has Robredo been too busy fighting Duterte but these are all pie-in-the-sky promises meant only to garner votes!
So is Leni Robredo a self-sacrificing politician seeking the greater good of the Philippines and the Filipino people? Is she asking what she can do for her country? The answer is undoubtedly: NO!
