MANILA – The country's leaders should draw the line when it comes to personal issues. It is all right to disagree, but officials should listen to each other and respect each other's opinions, Vice President Leni Robredo said Thursday, when asked about President Rodrigo Duterte's latest tiff with another female official—Senator Leila de Lima. In an ambush interview during the turnover of a school building in Calabanga, Camarines Sur, on the day of her husband's death anniversary, Robredo said she was saddened that Duterte and De Lima's disagreement took a personal turn. "Nakakalungkot na personalan iyong laban…Kasi kaya tayo andito, to bring out the best in people. Kapag binababa natin yung discourse sa personalan, baka iyong nabi-bring out natin, iyong worst in people (It’s sad that their disagreement became personal…We're here to bring out the best in people. If we lower the discourse to the personal level, we might bring out the worst in people...
Words cannot express what I am feeling right now. I guess no one can, because no one has ever been attacked in such a manner by no less than the highest official of the land, until now. How does one defend oneself, when the attacker is immune from suit, and has all the backing of executive power to support him in his personal attack? This is no less than abuse and misuse of executive power. I don’t think the Constitution has ever contemplated such abuse of power on such scale, as it assumes every President to conduct himself in a manner befitting the office he holds. It seems that this is not the case for this President. If this is his way of stopping the Senate’s investigation on the extrajudicial killings, he can try until he finally silences me or the Senate. But I think it is already clear that what is being done to me is what will happen to anyone who does not bow to the wishes of the President. If stopping the Senate investigation is the only way for these personal attacks ...