UPDATE: Robredo accepts Duterte offer to be drug czar
Credit to Author: Glee Jalea| Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2019 05:30:00 +0000
VICE President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo on Wednesday finally accepted President Rodrigo Duterte’s offer to be the co-chairman of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), with an aim of ending extradjudicial killings until the end of this administration’s term.
“Kung ito ang pagkakataon para matigil ang patayan ng mga inosente at mapanagot ang mga kailangang managot, papasanin ko ito,” Robredo said in a short briefing at the Quezon City Reception House.
(If this is the opportunity to end extrajudicial killings and punish those who should be made accountable, I will accept this challenge.)
“Hindi laro-laro ang usapang ito. Seryosong usapan pag buhay ang nakataya. Tinatanong nila kung handa ba ako para sa trabahong ito. Ang tanong ko: handa na ba kayo para sa akin?” she noted, with a smile.
(This issue is not just a joke. It is a serious issue when life is involved. They have been asking if I’m ready to take on this job. This is my question: Are you ready for me?)
Robredo said in taking on the job, she also wanted to give justice and voice to the family of the victims of extrajudicial killings and go after the drug lords, instead of the small drug dealers.
The Office of the Vice President (OVP) told The Manila Times that Robredo sent a letter of acceptance to the Palace at about 1:19 p.m.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo previously welcomed the appointment of Robredo.
“The Vice-President is welcome to the Cabinet. It is a golden opportunity worth taking. This is her moment. She should seize it. Destiny beckons. History awaits her,” he added.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Chief Aaron Aquino added that with her Cabinet rank until June 2022, Robredo “can well contribute” particularly on the “rehabilitation and reintegration” of drug users.
Robredo previously noted that the administration should re-asses the lapses of the war on illegal drugs, specifically the growing number of drug addicts despite the campaign that started in 2016.
This did not sit well with critics, particularly allies and supporters of the administration.
Data from the Philippine National Police (PNP) showed that there have been at least 5,000 deaths related to the government’s drug war as of January 2019.
Various rights groups, however, have maintained that the death toll has reached more than 27,000 since Duterte took office in 2016.