Philippine vice-president says plot to oust her

Manila : Philippine Vice-President Leni Robredo announced Sunday she would quit President Rodrigo Duterte's cabinet after being told to stay away from its meetings, and said there was a plot to ousther as his deputy.

Robredo did not say who was behind the alleged plot to remove her as vice-president.

But she cited "major differences in principles and values" with Duterte, such as over the rash of extrajudicial killings during his "war on drugs" and the hero's burial he granted for dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

In the Philippines the president and vice-president are elected separately. Duterte and Robredo come from rival parties.

"I had been warned of a plot to steal the Vice-Presidency. I have chosen to ignore this and focus on the job at hand. But the events of recent days indicate that this plot is now being set in motion," Robredo said in a statement on her Facebook page.

"I will not allow the Vice-Presidency to be stolen. I will not allow the will of the people to be thwarted," despite leaving the cabinet, she said.

"We received a text (SMS) message last Saturday from Cabinet Secretary (Leoncio) Evasco, relaying the    President’s instruction... for me 'to desist from attending all Cabinet meetings starting this Monday, December 5'."

"This is the last straw, because it makes it impossible for me to perform my duties," Robredo said. 

She had been appointed to the cabinet as a housing official.