\n Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte fired Vice President and arch-critic Leni Robredo from her post as overseer of his deadly drug war Sunday, an aide said, just days after calling her a \"scatterbrain\" not to be trusted with state secrets.\n<\/p>\n
\n Robredo, 54, lasted less than three weeks as head of Duterte's signature anti-narcotics campaign, which she vowed to reform amid allegations police were committing crimes against humanity in killing thousands of drug suspects.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"The Vice-President resorted to unduly baiting international attention on the matter,\" Duterte spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement announcing Robredo's immediate dismissal.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Essentially, what the Vice-President has done is to embarrass our country,\" Panelo added.\n<\/p>\n
\n The decision came after Duterte and his political allies publicly criticised Robredo, who had vowed to end \"senseless\" killing in the drug war after her appointment.\n<\/p>\n
\n Duterte took issue Tuesday with Robredo's meeting US embassy and United Nations drug experts.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I do not trust her,\" Duterte told reporters, calling Robredo a \"scatterbrain\" who could inadvertently share sensitive security matters with outsiders.\n<\/p>\n
\n After the public tongue-lashing, Robredo said the president should fire her if she didn't have his trust.\n<\/p>\n
\n Robredo, who was elected separately from the president, surprisingly accepted Duterte's offer of the post despite advisers warning her it was a trap.\n<\/p>\n
\n Duterte had previously derided the capability of Robredo to lead the country -- which she would have to do if the president dies or cannot function.\n<\/p>\n
\n The drug war is overwhelmingly backed by Filipinos, but critics allege it is a war on the urban poor with the side effect of unleashing a rush of killings linked to everything from personal disputes to political rivalries.\n<\/p>\n
\n Police say they have killed just over 5,500 alleged dealers and users who fought back during arrest, but watchdogs say the true toll is at least four times higher.\n<\/p>\n
\n International Criminal Court prosecutors who have launched a preliminary probe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte fired Vice President and arch-critic Leni Robredo from her post as overseer of his deadly drug war Sunday, an aide said, just days after calling her a \"scatterbrain\" not to be trusted with state secrets. Robredo, 54, lasted less than three weeks as head of Duterte's signature anti-narcotics campaign, which she […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-43030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n