Dousing speculation that the death of her husband was premeditated, Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday said she was sure that the plane crash that killed former Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo was an accident.
鈥淪igurado ako na 鈥榶ong nangyari sa asawa ko, aksidente,鈥� Robredo said during a press briefing at the Office of the Vice President in the Quezon City Reception House.
Theories are circulating on social media that Jesse鈥檚 death was plotted by former government officials after he supposedly pursued an investigation on the involvement of local executives and police officials in the illegal drugs trade and protecting carjacking groups.
Her husband, who died in a plane crash off the Masbate coast in August 2012, was succeeded at the Department of Interior and Local Government by Mar Roxas, Robredo鈥檚 running mate who lost his presidential bid in the recently concluded national elections.
Days after Jesse鈥檚 death, news reports surfaced that former Interior Undersecretary Ronnie Puno with then Senior Supt. Joel Pagdilao and Supt. Oliver Tanseco stormed into the Robredo family鈥檚 condominium to 鈥渟ecure classified documents鈥� that Jesse kept.
Pagdilao, now a director or two-star rank police general, is one of the officials President Rodrigo Duterte has accused of being a drug protector. He has since been relieved from his post as the chief of the National Capital Region Police Office.
Robredo said her husband was investigating 鈥渋ssues鈥� but she did not know if these involved Puno and Pagdilao.
鈥淎lam ko na may mga ini-imbestiga siyang mga issues pero hindi ko alam 鈥榶ong mga agency, o si General Pagdilao,鈥� she said.
鈥淗indi ko din alam kung kasama sila doon sa pumasok sa amin the day after the crash,鈥� she added.
The Vice President said she took offense at Puno鈥檚 attempt to get Jesse鈥檚 documents and reported it to the authorities.
鈥溾�榊on naman 鈥榶ong attempt na iyon nireklamo ko iyon 鈥� in-offer ko lahat, kung ano man ang nasa documents na iyon. Parang at that time I was managing my sanity, 鈥榙i ba. I was managing my sanity,鈥� she said.
She recalled that at the time Jesse鈥檚 body was still missing, it did not matter to her what the documents contained.
鈥淎ng sa akin lang 鈥榥on, hindi pa nila nahahanap ang katawan ng asawa ko so 鈥榶on ang nakaka-consume sa amin. So sinabi ko 鈥榥on, I don鈥檛 want to have anything to do with that, inaasa ko sa authorities na sila ang mag-aayos 鈥榥on,鈥� she said.
鈥淧arang sinasabi ko wala akong pakialam diyan, ang sa akin ang pakialam ko 鈥榶ong mga anak ko, kung maayos ang katawan ng asawa ko, mahanap,鈥� Robredo added.
鈥淏ahala na kayo diyan kung ano 鈥榶ong mga papeles na nandiyan,鈥� the Vice President said. 鈥淎ng sa akin lang, 鈥榶ong pagkawala kasi ng asawa ko it was something na mahirap dalhin para sa aming mag-iina. Na 鈥榶ong lahat ng mga, kung ano mga 鈥榶ong mga incidentals surrounding it, at that time ayoko nang makialam.鈥�/rga