Philippine vice-president quits Cabinet after Duterte order

Philippine Vice-President Leni Robredo said she will resign as housing secretary on Monday after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered her to stop attending Cabinet meetings, a development that could galvanise opposition to Duterte.

Robredo said she received a text message from Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco relaying the president’s instruction. Not attending the cabinet meetings would make it impossible for her to perform her duties as head of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, she said in a statement on her website.

“From the very beginning, the president and I had major differences in principles and values,” Robredo said. She had expressed concern over rising extrajudicial killings related to Duterte’s war against drugs and has opposed the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Heroes’ Graveyard, which Duterte endorsed. Thousands joined the protests against the former dictator’s burial last month. The former leader’s son, Bongbong Marcos, lost to Robredo in the vice-presidential race in May. He filed an election protest and asked the Supreme Court to void Robredo’s proclamation.

Robredo’s resignation could signal a period of struggle is looming, with Duterte drawing a “clear divide” between the administration and its members, according to Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute of Political and Electoral Reform in Quezon City.

“The president is trying to consolidate his own forces, anticipating a political struggle,” Casiple said. “He drew the line, and I think he’s trying to force the hand of a relatively weak opposition.” Duterte may have wasted the opportunity for national unity with his decision to exclude Robredo from Cabinet meetings, he said.