MANILA, Philippines — Some officials of the current government had been looking for issues that might be used against her, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters in a press conference in Quezon City, Robredo said that she supported investigations into anomalies, even if they were committed during the previous Aquino government, but not probes that would be used only to harass the political opposition.
"It's right to investigate if there are anomalies. But it's wrong to launch an investigation to harass," the vice president said in Filipino.
"This is being done to me in my own province. There are officials of the current administration, my townmates are telling me, who are looking for issues against me," she added.
The vice president stressed that government officials had a lot of work to do especially in helping poor Filipinos out of poverty to waste time in harassing opponents.
During the same press conference, she said that the culture of "impunity" started even before the string of killings of local government officials last week.
She said that the killings showed that criminals were sparing no one in their activities.
"If this is not culture of violence, I don't know what this is. But it seems that it is becoming common for us to hear of killings every day," Robredo lamented.
Last week, two mayors from Batangas and Nueva Ecija and a vice mayor from Cavite were gunned down in separate attacks, sending fears that the country was spiraling toward a culture of violence and impunity.
READ: Nueva Ecija mayor killed a day after Halili murder
Robredo on Tuesday said that she was already prepared to unite and lead the opposition against President Rodrigo Duterte.
She said that it was important for groups and individuals opposing Duterte's policies to have one voice in airing their disapproval.
"That is the role I want to take to ensure that united voices become more united, so they would be listened to, to ensure their message is understood and to encourage others with a different belief to join us," she said.
The election of Robredo and Duterte, who belong to different parties, is a unique feature of Philippine elections where the president and the vice president are voted separately.
Duterte appointed Robredo to a cabinet post in 2016 only to tell her to desist from attending palace meetings because of their political differences.
READ: Cavite vice mayor, aide killed in ambush