Tells allies to lay off VP

The people working on filing an impeachment case against Vice-President Leni Robredo may have found an unlikely opponent to their plans — President Rodrigo Duterte.

The last few days have seen politicians virtually frothing at the mouth seeking to remove Robredo from office on account of a video message she sent to a UN conference side event questioning the methods of Duterte's illegal-drugs campaign.

• READ: Alvarez mulls impeachment rap vs Robredo

On Thursday, it was Duterte himself who came to Robredo's defense.

"We just had an election. Guys, lay off. Stop it. Do other things but don't tinker with structure of government," Duterte said during a press conference at NAIA, fresh off official visits in Myanmar and Thailand.

"I will not countenance it. Elected yung tao. Why do you have to . . . just because she keeps harping on me?

"Hayaan mo, this is a democracy. Freedom of speech."

Duterte did clarify that he isn't aware of the UN video, the reason his allies say Robredo deserves to be impeached for "betrayal of public trust."

Last week, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said he is considering filing an impeachment complaint against Robredo for alleged "betrayal of public trust," which he says was what the video message did.

In an interview on dzMM over the weekend, Alvarez said the video message was "very irresponsible and a stupid move."