MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte should surrender his law enforcement powers to Vice President Leni Robredo for three years and not a mere six months, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said.
“Bakit naman 6 months lang? Gawin na nilang three years (Why only six months? They should make it three years),” Pangilinan wrote in a Facebook post Monday night.
His statement came after the President said he would yield his law enforcement powers, with particular focus on his administration’s relentless war on drugs, to Robredo.
READ: Duterte to ‘surrender’ power to Robredo to enforce law for six months
Robredo earlier said that the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs “is not working,” adding that it should be reassessed.
READ: Robredo: I said reassess – not stop – drug war
“(Six) months? Eh sila nga 3 taon ng nakaupo wala pa rin nahuhuling drug lord o kinukulong na opisyal ng BOC (Bureau of Customs) sa tonetoneladang pinalusot na shabu sa Customs (Only six months? In their 3 years in office, no drug lords have been caught or Custom officials jailed over the tons of shabu smuggled into the country),” added Pangilinan.
“Yung mga Ninja Cops na sangkot sa iligal na droga binigyan pa ng pinakamataas na pwesto sa PNP (Philippine National Police). Hindi naman patas ang usapan kapag 6 months lang. Dapat maging patas. Gawing 3 years para fair (Those ninja cops involved in illegal drugs are even given the highest position in the police force. It’s not fair if it will only be for six months. Make it three years).”
Pangilinan said that should Robredo take the helm of law enforcement in the country, daily killings of poor Filipinos under the drug war would end.
“Wala (na) ang araw araw na patayan ng mahihirap nating mga kababayan habang mga ninja cops at sindikato ay binibigyan ng mataas na posisyon, pinalalaya dahil sa gcta (good conduct time allowance) o inaabswelto (There will no longer be daily killings involving the poor while errant policemen and drug lords are assigned to juicy posts and freed under the GCTA).”
He also said that with Rodredo’s leadership, the Philippines will no longer be submissive to China. /gsg