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| President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo (middle photo) amid full military respects for Duterte at the AFP Change of Command rites held at Camp Aguinaldo. |
VP Ma. Leonor "Leni" Robredo is no more expecting any Cabinet position under the Duterte administration.
"Hindi na siguro. Ako naman, nakakasa na hindi ako bibigyan. Handa na rin naman ako na wala," Robredo told columnists in Naga City on Saturday. (I no more hope to be given a Cabinet post. I am set up for that plausibility.)
Robredo, with the company of staff and Presidential Security Group, landed in the city by means of a business transport to go to an initiation party.
The VP said a Cabinet post would be a reward yet said she was prepared to work even without it. "Kaya iyong sa akin, reward na lang 'yun. Kung wala, prepared na din tayo (It will simply be a reward for me. In the event that none is given, I am prepared)," she said.
President Rodrigo Duterte, whom she met surprisingly for the first time on Friday, had said he didn't feel constrained to give her a Cabinet post since he would not like to offend of his friend, active Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., who lost to Robredo in the Vice Presidential race.
She said she would set up satellite workplaces beside the Executive House in Quezon City, which is the VP's legitimate habitation. She said they would ask for a financial plan for the satellite office since it was not yet incorporated into the monetary allowance for the Office of the Vice President. "Pero mahahanapan naman iyan ng paraan. Ayoko naman kasing hintayin pa na magkaroon ng spending plan, na maraming umaasa sa tulong natin (But we will search for ways. I would prefer not to sit tight for the monetary allowance while there are individuals expecting for our help)," she said.
Robredo said she would even now ride public bus each time she goes home to Naga City.
"Really kahit hindi ako nag bus ganoon rin. Mayroon silang required na parang number ng kasama. So noong nalaman ko nga na ganoon rin, sabi ko baka mas mabuti pang mag bus tuloy para mas tipid," she said. (Regardless of the possibility that I don't take the bus, there is a required number of individuals to go with me. So when I found out about it, I thought it would be better and cost-effective in the event that I keep on taking the bus.)
"Kasi kung pinayagan sana ako na mag-eroplano na walang kasama, mag-eeroplano na ako. Pero whether mag-eroplano ako o mag-transport, talagang kailangang may kasama," she included. (In the event that if they permitted me to take the plane without anyone else's in it, then I would take the plane. In any case, convention directs that whether I take the plane or the bus, I ought to have companions.)
Be she said she may confine her doing back and forth to Naga City since it was costly.
"Kailangan lang, sabi ko iyong mga plano kong uwi-uwi, hindi pala siya puwedeng ganoon kadalas kasi magastos. Kaya siguro babalansehin na lang," she said.
