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Duterte wants impeachment bids against Philippine VP stopped

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo smiles during the 16th National Convention of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in Pasay, south of Manila, Philippines on Thursday, March 23, 2017. House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez recently said, he is mulling to file impeachment complaint against Robredo for sending a video message to the United Nations Side Session at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs Annual Meeting allegedly criticizing extra-judicial killings in the so-called war on drugs by President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte himself is the object of an impeachment complaint filed by another congressman for the thousands of alleged killings in the country. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) (The Associated Press)

Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo delivers her speech during the 16th National Convention of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in Pasay, south of Manila, Philippines on Thursday, March 23, 2017. House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez recently said, he is mulling to file impeachment complaint against Robredo for sending a video message to the United Nations Side Session at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs Annual Meeting allegedly criticizing extra-judicial killings in the so-called war on drugs by President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte himself is the object of an impeachment complaint filed by another congressman for the thousands of alleged killings in the country. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) (The Associated Press)

Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo addresses the 16th National Convention of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in Pasay, south of Manila, Philippines on Thursday, March 23, 2017. House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez recently said, he is mulling to file impeachment complaint against Robredo for sending a video message to the United Nations Side Session at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs Annual Meeting allegedly criticizing extra-judicial killings in the so-called war on drugs by President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte himself is the object of an impeachment complaint filed by another congressman for the thousands of alleged killings in the country. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) (The Associated Press)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has told proponents to stop trying to impeach the vice president because she hasn't committed any "overt acts" that could be grounds for her ouster.

Vice President Leni Robredo has criticized Duterte's bloody antidrug crackdown and other policies, but the president says she has the right to free speech and removing her from office will damage the country.

Philippine presidents and vice presidents are elected separately and often come from rival political parties like Duterte, who got more than 16 million votes, and Robredo, a former human rights lawyer who won more than 14 million votes, in last year's election.