Malacañang on Thursday told Vice President Leni Robredo that the country’s economy was experiencing robust growth and defended President Rodrigo Duterte’s remarks describing her as incompetent.
In response to Robredo’s statement that the President should focus on the economy instead of insulting her, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque told Robredo that there was no problem with the Philippine economy and boasted it was the “second fastest-growing” in the world.
“The assessment of the President is an assessment of one who has served almost 30 years in an elective position, in addition to his 10 years being a public prosecutor,” Roque told reporters. “So it’s the assessment of a person who [has] served the government for about 40 years.
“Maybe we should look into the merits of what he said, especially since we are aware of the experience of the vice president is three years as a Congresswoman and two years as a vice president.”
Roque said Robredo might have been hurt by the President’s “honest and objective” assessment of her capability to run the country.
“The vice president should not take the President’s assessment as an insult but maybe as a constructive criticism, Roque said.
But he admitted the country was also experiencing some economic hitches due to inflation as a result of the rising prices of oil products, rice and the sharp decline of the peso.
He said the country was not the only nation that is experiencing economic problems and cited China and the United States.
“There are challenges, the trade war between the US and China, and it somehow affects the country,” Roque said.