World Bank officer defended Duterte against Raissa Robles, says she is "disappointing" as a journalist

Charity Quiroz and Raissa Robles, photo compiled from Facebook and Google

A statement of an officer at the World Bank in Washington DC shared that she was disappointed by the skills of investigative journalist Raissa Robles after she wasn't able to defend her allegations against President Rodrigo Duterte.

"More than angered, I feel sorry for the so-called investigative and writing talents of Robles being used to vilify the Philippines. Sad and disappointing!"



Robles has earned her reputation as an investigative journalist, managing her website Raissarobles.com, and most known for her work on the alleged ill-gotten wealth and atrocities of the Marcos family during Martial Law.

The World Bank officer is Charity Quiroz, who serves as Senior Executive Assistant, and her statement was shared by  former Undersecretary for Special Concerns Abraham 'Abe' Purugganan in his Facebok account.

Quiroz said that when she encountered the journalist who was a staunch Duterte critic, at the Filipino Association of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to her talk about her book on Marcos Martial Law and spewed speculations  that Duterte is following Marcos' steps because the former wants to impose martial law in the country.

"Just like her previous talks in UCLA, UC Berkley, and New York, her ideas are all about the atrocities of Marcos martial law for which I give her credit for accounting these with clear supporting documentations. However, the punches she threw against Duterte are just that, speculations, which she tried to fit into the narrative of the Marcos martial law regime for which she has failed miserably," Quiroz said.

She claimed that Robles' statement was full of inconsistencies.



She noted these inconsitencies on her post:

She said first, that there is an eradication of the system of check and balances in the government, as Senator Leila de Lima is in jail. Quiroz said the statement does not hold water.

She added that Raissa was not able to defend her allegation that Duterte is for authoritarianism, when he delegates freely.

Quiroz also contended that Duterte does not aim for unitary power as he is pushing even for a federal type of government, and that when asked about this, Robles was unable to answer.

"Federalism removes unitary and central powers and instead decentralize this to subnational government or states; she noted that Duterte aims for unicameral system where the senate will be abolished. So I asked, the members of the parliament can easily vote for a Prime Minister which usually make a President as symbolic. How will that favor Duterte? Silence."



She also noted that there was a disconnect between the context of Marcos regime versus Duterte's current context on freedom of information, advanced technology that empowers knowledge sharing, fact-checking and thus, ushering an invisible force of accountability for Duterte or any leader enjoying the perks of popularity.

Quiroz advised Robles to make up her mind.

"Robles also mentioned about Duterte's tax reform that while will alleviate the middle class, will hurt the poor due to excise tax on petrolium products. She said Duterte, being a dictator that he is, is pushing without consultation (?) for the modernization of public utility vehicles that use electric source of power -- eh haler, how can the poor be negatively affected by excise tax on petrolium when they'll have access to more efficient public transport system that use non-petrolium energy? Ano ba ate, make up your mind!"

She said Robles might have forgotten that she was speaking at the World Bank when she said that the president's actions are bring the country's economy to a downfall, as the employees of said bank track teh country's progress, which incidentally, shows the opposite.

"Robles failed to satisfy the tests of logic and factual basis that may lead one into conclusion that she is stuck with her jurassic notion of the Philippines being a "third world country" And that she's bent on demonizing Duterte. A propaganda she might be oblivious that not just necessarily hit Duterte alone but maligns the entire Philippines and her kapwa Filipinos who are being demonized as well in foreign lands," Quiroz said.

Source: Abe Purugganan

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