By Vanne Elaine Terrazola

The Duterte administration should focus on properly hosting the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games instead of insulting Vice President Leni Robredo, Senator Francis Pangilinan said.

“Sa halip na inaatake ang kakayahan ni VP Leni mas mainam na tutukan na lang ng husto ng Administrasyon ang kakayahan nitong patakbuhin ng maayos ang SEA Games para tiyakin na wala ng aberya at kapalpakan (Instead of attacking the abilities of Vice President Leni, it would be better for this administration to focus on running the SEA Games smoothly and make sure that there are no more blunders and mishaps),” the opposition senator said Saturday on Twitter.

Pangilinan, who is Robredo’s partymate in the Liberal Party, issued the statement after President Duterte, in a interview with CNN Philippines on Friday, belittled anew the Vice President.

Duterte said Robredo should not run for president for her supposed incompetence in criticizing his campaign against illegal drugs, and his position about policemen receiving gifts.

“Wag ka tumakbo na pagka-presidente, wala ka talagang alam. Wala ka talagang — Ayoko na sasabihin, dadalawang beses akong kumuha ng Bar, pero wala ka talagang alam (Don’t run for president, you know nothing. You really know nothing, I don’t like to say this, I took the Bar twice, but you still know nothing),” he told Robredo.

“Wag ka tumakbo. Maghanap kayo ng iba diyan. Yan ilagay niyo disgrasya yan… Sinasabi ko lang sa inyo, disgrasya kayo pag si Leni ang [presidente] –Subukan ninyo (Don’t run. Look for someone else. If you put her there, it will be a disaster. I am telling you, you will end up in disaster if Leni is president. Just try),” Duterte appealed, despite saying that he would not meddle with the next elections.

In the same interview, Duterte also called Pangilinan “stupid” for claiming that his war on drug was a failure.

“Those stupid remarks coming out of empty head. Anong palpak (What failure). The war on drugs is a continuing one in all countries, even in America. You know that. Do not be pretend to be stupid. Or if you are not stupid, do not pretend to be stupid. Alam ninyo yan. It is a never ending war,” he said when asked about the senator.

“Itong, wise, pa-wise-wise na wala namang utak, puro porma (This, playing the wise guy but has no brain and all talk). Since he became a senator, he said ‘Why don’t you just fire Leni?’ O so pinagbigyan ko (So I obliged). Alam mo bakit (You know why)? Idol ko yan eh si Pangilinan (Pangilinan is my idol). Bilib ako diyan sa kanya (I admire him). Kaya sinabi i-fire mo, eh di finire ko (So when he said I should fire Robredo, I did fire her). Bilib ako sa iyo Pangilinan,” he said.

Pangilinan earlier said Duterte should just remove Robredo as co-chair of the Interagency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) instead of hurling slurs on how she was planning to lead the government’s war on drugs.

In removing Robredo from the ICAD about three weeks after her appointment, Malacañang said it only heeded Pangilinan’s suggestion. The senator dismissed as “a desperate attempt at blaming others for the mess they themselves created.”

The Liberal Party president did not respond to Duterte’s latest remarks against him.