Tolentino on Robredo’s drug war report: Who are you to judge?
MANILA, Philippines — “Who are you to judge?”
Senator Francis Tolentino raised this question after Vice President Leni Robredo reported Monday that the government’s bloody war on drugs was a failure.
Robredo served for 18 days as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) until she was sacked by President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Dapat siguro kung sinasabi nya noon na kulang yung datos na sa maikling panahon na nanungkulan sya doon, e palagay ko yung kulang na hawak nya ay hindi makakapagresulta ng isang accurate, exhaustive evaluation of what transpired during the last three years,” Tolentino said in an interview at the Senate on Tuesday.
(If she was complaining then during her short stint that that data was incomplete, then I don’t think it would result in an accurate, exhaustive evaluation of what transpired during the last three years)
“So hindi naman kayang mabasa lahat yun sa loob ng Christmas break lang o ilang linggo yung nakalap nya na datos na maaring kulang-kulang o maaring biased na yung interpretation nya dahi lnaalis nga sya sa pwesto,” he said.
(She could not just finish reading during the Christmas break or within a few weeks all these data that maybe incomplete or based on her biased interpretation since she had been sacked from her post)
The senator then questioned Robredo’s basis in concluding that the drug war was a failure.
Even Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Aaron Aquino, who chairs the ICAD, questioned the data cited by Robredo in her drug war report.
Tolentino insists that Robredo’s data might be wrong or insufficient since her service at ICAD was abruptly cut.
“So paano mo mako-conclude yan na given the fact na naalis ka na rin din sa pwestong yun, wala ka nang continuing access dun sa relevant information which could probably produce a more objective result?”
(So how can you make that conclusion given the fact that you have been fired, and you have no continuing access to relevant information which could probably produce a more objective result?)
“And how can you judge something which is still ongoing? Ongoing pa ito e. Hindi pa naman tapos e di ba . Wala pa namang cessation (It’s still ongoing. It’s not yet over. There’s no cessation yet),” he said.
Tolentino also rejected Robredo’s suggestion that ICAD should be headed by the Dangerous Drugs Board, instead of PDEA.
“E operational yung PDEA e, iba naman yung board, Dangerous Drug Board lang yun, more on policy-making yun (PDEA is operational, Dangerous Drug Board is just more on policy-making),” he said.
“So again, from a biased evaluation, with due respect, coming from the Vice President e siguro mas maganda na yung evaluation nya e kasama rin yung mga pinagkunan nya nung mga datos. Hindi lang syang mag isa o tanggapan nya,” the senator added.
(So again, from a biased evaluation, with due respect, coming from the Vice President, it would be better if she included the sources of her data in her evaluation. Not only her or her office)