During his public address, President Rodrigo Duterte questioned why Presidential Anti-Crime Commission commissioner Manuelito Luna was trying to conduct an investigation into Vice President Leni Robredo’s humanitarian efforts for the COVID-19 crisis.
“Wala namang kasalanan ang Vice President. Bakit ipaimbestiga?”
This caught many by surprise as the president hs consistently put down and belittled VP Robredo on several public occasions.
Celebrities like Lauren Young, retweeted Rappler’s Tweet of President Duterte siding with VP Robredo.
https://t.co/9F54EeGmA1 pic.twitter.com/ht9shZYEIc
— Lauren Young (@loyoung) April 3, 2020
Kapuso Comedian Sef Cadayona humorously reacted on this very rare commentary of President Duterte.
Yiiieeee friendship na ulit sila ni VP ayieee
— sef cadayona (@sefcadayona) April 3, 2020
Dead Kids’ Vance Larena, Jerome Vargas, Film Director Kim Oebanda and other netizens as well,
https://twitter.com/TheJeromeVargas/status/1246100781624741890
https://twitter.com/vance_larena/status/1246100689798885378
https://twitter.com/kipoebanda/status/1246109413095530497
Yikee PRRD ❤️s VP Leni
— Jules Guiang (@julesguiang) April 3, 2020
DDS ARE CONFUSED https://t.co/Zn3AhP9AbX
— Editors of Manila (on sabbatical)| (@edsMNL) April 3, 2020
First time ata to.
President Duterte praises VP Leni Robredo for her efforts amid the Covid19 pandemic.
He also announced that he already fired PACC Commissioner Manuelito Luna for asking NBI to investigate the Vice President.
— Mykiru Isyusero (@mykiru) April 3, 2020
https://twitter.com/majasuperstar/status/1246101140715892737
Unity at the time of Covid 19 pic.twitter.com/mIpIhp84LN
— Harry Roque (@attyharryroque) April 5, 2020
DDS troll queens after Duterte recognized and lauded VP Leni: https://t.co/7Qs4LKYGsw
— Ralph | #ThesisEra (@maroontito) April 3, 2020
The President's defense of VP Robredo was very significent, I think. Her good works are appreciated . . . nay, nay, LOVED by all Filipinos enduring this crisis. That is, by everybody. Everybody but the paid trolls who earn money by being evil. The VP is out of the shadows now.
— JoeAm (@societyofhonor) April 4, 2020
Last Friday, President Duterte sided with Vice President Robredo and even fired Luna from the PACC.
“Ito naman, may tao ako na abugado sa PACC, commissioner Manuelito Luna. Gusto nya ipaimbestiga si Leni kung bakit magsolicit. Anak ng. Kaya nung narinig ko, sabi ko, ‘fire him.’ As of this moment, he is no longer connected with government,” Duterte said.
Duterte also warned officials at the National Investigation Bureau (NBI) that they would face the same fate if they went forward with the investigation.
Now former Presidential Anti-Corruption Commissioner Manuelito Luna said earlier that NBI would investigate Robredo’s fund drive and relief operations for COVID-19 frontliners believing that it was made to “compete with” or “calculated to sabotage” the efforts of the Duterte administration.
VP Robredo, along with her associates, was able to raise over P40 million for food and medical supplies for frontliners in over 100 hospitals and local government units nationwide.
VP Robredo responded to Luna’s comments by brushing it off and said she has a lot of work to do.
