President Duterte Appoints VP Leni Robredo as Housing Czar

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has appointed Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo as head of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).

“She was asked to report for the Cabinet meeting on Monday,” Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre told Malacañang reporters in a briefing Thursday evening.

The appointment came as a surprise since the President was very careful of giving any position to Robredo, who comes from another political group — the Liberal Party (LP) — and whose win in the May 9 national elections is still being contested by former Senator and Vice Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, a friend of Duterte.

The offer was made to Robredo after the meeting of the Security Cluster of the Cabinet Thursday afternoon.

In a video clip shown on state-run People’s Television Network PTV-4 during its primetime newscast, the President was seen talking over the phone, asking Robredo if she would accept to head the HUDCC.

“Can you be the Housing secretary? Tanggapin mo, Ma’am? (Will you accept it, Ma’am?),” he said, to which Robredo apparently answered with “yes.”

Aguirre, during the briefing, said the change of heart on the part of the President transpired after the country’s two highest officials met during the turnover ceremonies of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Camp Aguinaldo on July 1.

He said that the meeting was “very amiable” and might be among the reasons why the President decided to give the Housing portfolio to Robredo.

“We feel that because of the little passage of time, there must be some reconsideration of that decision. And so, here we are and I think this is for the good of the country,” he said.

Aguirre said Cabinet members are happy that Robredo has been given a Cabinet position.

Asked for the reason why Robredo was given the Housing portfolio, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary said this was the same position given to former Vice President Jejomar Binay. (PNA) SCS/JSV/EDS