MANILA, Philippines—”Trust is earned.”

This was Malacañang’s reminder to Vice President Leni Robredo after President Rodrigo Duterte said he would not trust her with confidential matters as she could “jeopardize” the republic.

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In a statement Thursday, Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo said Robredo, whom Duterte recently appointed as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), must “understand that one’s election to the Vice Presidency does not automatically clothe the occupant with trustworthiness.”

“Trust is earned. The missteps of the VP did not inspire confidence in the matter of keeping to oneself classified information,” he said.

The Palace official noted that Duterte appointed Robredo to the ICAD “instead of hearing her endlessly voicing criticisms against the strategies of his administration.”

“Her designation is a call of duty coming from the Chief Executive to end the illegal drug trade in the country, a rare chance given to her, despite her being in the opposition, to help in the campaign against illegal drugs, instead of being a rambunctious critic who cannot see anything good on the war on drugs initiated by this Administration,” Panelo said.

Duterte had asked Robredo to be his drug czar and promised to appoint her to a Cabinet rank position after the opposition stalwart criticized his government’s brutal war on drugs that has so far claimed the lives of thousands of drug suspects.

But Duterte only appointed Robredo as ICAD co-chair, a non-Cabinet rank post, because he said he doesn’t trust her.

“I cannot appoint her as a Cabinet member. If that is the way her mouth behaves, there can never be a position for her,” Duterte said.

“I cannot trust her not be — not only because — not only ha — so ‘pag nag — not only because she is with the opposition. I do not trust her because I do not know her,” he added.

Panelo also reminded the Vice President that her job in the ICAD “requires competence and creativity” and trust “comes into play only as regards the non-transmission of state secrets that imperils the safety of the Filipino people and the sovereignty of the country.”

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Panelo, who is also Duterte’s legal counsel, added Robredo should not be bothered by Duterte’s remarks “since she will not be given access to privileged communication.”

Panelo also asked former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to focus on his case pending before the Sandiganbayan, as well as taking care of his health, instead of “touching on a matter related to the dreaded drug menace that he never gave attention and importance it deserved during his six-year Presidency.”

This is after Aquino questioned Duterte why he appointed Robredo if he doesn’t trust her.

Panelo claimed that the drug menace “ballooned in magnitude” during Aquino’s presidency “due to his neglect in countering this evil.”

Edited by MUF

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