VP Leni not raising fuss over ASEAN snub

Vice President (VP) Leni Robredo does not want to make a big deal out of not being officially part of activities related to the 31st Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) Summit hosted by the country.

“I don’t want to make a big deal out of it,” Robredo on Wednesday told reporters in Iloilo. “For me, I’m here to do my job,” she said.

Robredo, who resigned as housing chief after she was barred from attending Cabinet meetings, is referring to Malacañang’s decision not to invite her to the ASEAN gala dinner for world leaders attending the summit last Sunday.

Robredo was the former Housing and Urban Devel- opment Coordinating Council (HUDCC) chief.

The Vice President also had no official role in welcoming the visiting ASEAN leaders and the region’s dialogue partners upon their arrival at the country’s airports last weekend. In the past, that task was delegated to previous vice presidents.

The Vice President explained it was the “discretion” of President Rodrigo Duterte who to invite to the event.

“I don’t want to blow this issue out of proportion,” Robredo stressed.

In the ASEAN Summit, the Vice President’s presence was only felt when she joined Philippine officials during the opening ceremony on November 13.

Robredo, who was wearing a Filipiniana attire, was seated between Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

Last Tuesday, she also delivered a keynote speech during the closing ceremony of the ASEAN Investment and Business Summit held at Solaire Resort and Casino in Pasay City.

During the summit, she spoke on how ASEAN businessmen should ensure inclusive growth that would benefit even micro, small, and medium enterprises or MSMEs.

“The problem of inclusivity is everyone’s job now, because inequality has turned the world’s poor into angry consumers,” said Robredo.

The Vice President underscored the crucial roles of both the government and private sector in helping the MSMEs.

“For too long, the world has treated micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises with casual concern, their small economic footprint keeping them in the little boy’s room, unable to participate in global discussions,” she said.

“But if we are to solve inequality, we must ensure that MSMEs benefit from unclogged value chains, fair trade, and peace,” Robredo added.