MANILA,
Philippines (AP) — There was no immediate reaction Monday from
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to the country's vice president
saying she will resign her Cabinet post, citing "major differences in
principles and values" with Duterte and an unspecified plot to remove
her from the vice presidency.
Leni
Robredo, a human rights lawyer and respected political newcomer, said
in a statement Sunday that she will resign as housing secretary, an
appointment made by Duterte, but will stay on in her elected post as
vice president. She was set to hold a news conference later Monday.
In
the Philippines, presidents and vice presidents are separately elected
and often come from rival political parties, like Duterte and Robredo.
"I
will not allow the vice presidency to be stolen. I will not allow the
will of the people to be thwarted," Robredo said without elaborating. "I
will continue to serve the Filipino family and fulfill their dream for a
better life."
The
head of the government's Commission on Higher Education, Patricia
Licuanan, said she learned through a text message that Duterte had also
banned her from attending Cabinet meetings but said she would stay on in
her post.
There was no immediate comment from Duterte on Monday.
Robredo's
resignation comes amid a political storm over Duterte's decision to
allow the burial of long-dead dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the country's
Heroes' Cemetery and a bloody crackdown against illegal drugs that has
alarmed Western governments and human rights watchdogs.
Robredo
is the second official to resign from Duterte's administration in less
than a week. Maria Serena Diokno quit as head of the government's
historical commission on Tuesday to protest Duterte's decision to allow
Marcos' reburial in the cemetery.
Diokno has since joined street protests by anti-Marcos groups condemning the secretive Nov. 18 burial.
Robredo
cited her opposition to the burial, the drug killings, Duterte's plan
to reimpose the death penalty and "sexual attacks against women" among
the issues on which she differed with Duterte, who took office on June
30.
The
last straw, she said, was when she was notified Saturday by Cabinet
Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. through a text message about the
president's order for Robredo "to desist from attending all Cabinet
meetings" starting Monday.
Evasco
said Duterte decided to bar her from Cabinet meetings because of her
"irreconcilable differences" with the Duterte administration.
Duterte's
move, Robredo said, made it impossible for her to do her work, adding
she has also faced budget cutbacks and other obstacles.
Robredo,
52, did not provide details about the alleged plot to remove her from
the vice presidency, but her electoral victory has been questioned by
her closest rival in the race, former Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos
Jr., a son of the late dictator.
Marcos
Jr. lost by a slim margin to Robredo, the widow of a popular politician
who built a name as an honest, hands-on provincial mayor who wore
slippers to work and reached out to the poor in the countryside.
Robredo's husband died in a plane crash in 2012, and she later acceded to widespread calls for her to enter politics.
Robredo said she has chosen to ignore warnings "of a plot to steal the vice presidency" and instead tried to focus on her work.
"But
the events of recent days indicate that this plot is now being set into
motion," Robredo said, adding that she will continue to support the
positive actions of Duterte's administration "and oppose those that are
inimical to the people's interest."
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