The Manila Times

VACC TELLS ROBREDO: APOLOGIZE

- JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA

VICE President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo should apologize to the Filipino people for her “treacherou­s” video message against the war on drugs before a United Nations meeting last week, or face legal action.

This was the demand of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) in a letter to Robredo dated March 21.

The letter, signed by VACC founding

chairman Dante Jimenez, said Robredo’s claims in her video message were unfounded, biased

VACC particular­ly cited Robredo’s supposedly inaccurate descriptio­n of the “palit ulo” or head-swap scheme, or the alleged practice of the police to arrest members of a drug suspect’s family should he or she refuse to surrender, and her claims of “more than 7,000 people killed in summary executions.”

“It is quite unfortunat­e that the Vice President had resorted to name-calling and unfounded accusation­s, and in such a blatant fashion to get her message across,” the VACC stated in its letter.

“We demand an apology from the Vice President addressed to the Filipino people to forestall any legal action that may be taken against her for her treacherou­s and unjust statements,” the VACC added.

On Thursday, Robredo told reporters she did not do anything wrong.

“The attacks on me have stepped up these past few days because of my message during the UN side meeting, perowalaak­ongsinabi nahinditot­oo [but I did not lie],” she said.

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