VP: Drug czar stint not a wasted opportunity

Yearender

MANILA, Philippines — For Vice President Leni Robredo, her 18-day stint as the country’s drug czar was not a wasted opportunity as she was able to “discover” the lapses in President Duterte’s controversial war on drugs and draw up recommendations to make the campaign “more humane and effective.”

“My 18 days with ICAD gave me the platform to push for a better strategy and to make the campaign more humane and effective,” the 54-year-old Robredo told The STAR in an e-mail interview.

The opposition leader said she did not regret taking Duterte’s challenge to lead the drug campaign, despite warnings from her allies and even if she knew from the beginning she would not get the President’s trust and support.

“Despite the unfriendly environment, I still grabbed the chance because I believe it was a big opportunity to us to assess what was being done and to influence a change of policy to finally put an end to the brutal killings that was happening in our midst,” Robredo said.

In October, Duterte challenged Robredo to lead the anti-illegal drug campaign for six months, following the Vice President’s interview with Reuters in the same month where she said the administration’s drug war was “obviously not working” and must be “tweaked.”

In early November, Duterte appointed Robredo as co-chairperson of the Interagency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), chaired by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency director-general Aaron Aquino.

“I knew that I would not be given much time, so even with the limitations and the unrelenting condescension and mansplaining, I got down to business as soon as I got appointed: reaching out to the agencies involved in the campaign, to the organizations and sectors that have a stake in this fight and to the communities, both deeply affected by and thriving against the drug problem,” she said.

“Walang tapon sa 18 days na iyon (There was nothing wasted in those 18 days),” Robredo, a human rights lawyer and one of the staunch critics of Duterte’s war on drugs, said.

“At the very least, I am glad that we were able to start putting things in order, to synchronize the many uncoordinated parts that are supposed to be under ICAD’s supervision,” she added.

Duterte fired Robredo, who chairs the formerly ruling Liberal Party, after she sought the help of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the US embassy in efforts to end the drug menace in the country.

The President launched a series of tirades against the Vice President prior to sacking her. He said he didn’t trust Robredo with classified information related to his drug war and urged Filipinos not to vote for her for president.

The Vice President said she would rather focus on her job than pay attention to the President’s insults.

“I have been at the receiving end of the President’s insults often enough. While these remarks are totally undeserved, I prefer not to respond to them, because I would rather focus on the work before me. I draw the line, however, whenever the President makes false claims in public, alleging that I did or did not do certain things, which could be easily checked on record,” Robredo said. 

The Vice President is expected to release her 40-page report on Duterte’s drug war after the Yuletide season. 

Robredo believes the government alone cannot end the illegal drugs problem in the country.

“I know how important this fight is for our countrymen. And as I have said before, this is not just the fight of the government but of the entire nation,” she said.

“My whirlwind stint in ICAD has only inspired me to continue taking on the advocacy of pushing for an evidence-based, data-driven and more effective campaign against illegal drugs,” she said. 

“While we have long been working with various groups who share the same advocacy, the time I spent in ICAD has given me a better perspective of how we can push for a more humane and responsive anti-drug campaign. We will continue to pursue this,” she said.

 ‘Eventful’

For her spokesman lawyer Barry Gutierrez, 2019 was an “eventful” year for the Vice President. 

“It was eventful. The Vice President received so many challenges. Despite her short term (in ICAD) she was able to do a lot. I think she was also able to prove that she is ready to lead and that she will not back out from any challenge no matter how hard it is, and despite all the obstacles she will face,” Gutierrez said. 

“I think this is another good year for her personally. Hopefully, a sign of a better year to come,” he said. 

Gutierrez said the Vice President would continue to work with over 180 partner-agencies of Angat Buhay in uplifting the lives of those on the fringes of society. 

He said the Vice President would continue to help in the area of rehabilitation and reintegration of former drug users. 

“She will be working with these (civil society) groups to focus on issues like rehabilitation and reintegration. She saw the importance, for almost three weeks with ICAD, that these are the areas which have not been prioritized by the government,” he said. 

As she enters the second half of her term, Robredo said she would ensure that her office’s programs and initiatives are not only responsive to the needs of the community, but sustainable as well. 

“We are moving double-time in our bid to reach communities in need all over the country. We continue to work hard in the hopes of leaving lives much better than when we found them,” she said.