PDEA: Anti-drug body ‘ecstatic’ with having Robredo as chairperson

MANILA, Philippines — Members-agencies of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) were “ecstatic” upon knowing that Vice President Leni Robredo had accepted her designation as its co-chairperson, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Aaron Aquino said Wednesday.

Aquino said he announced to members of the ICAD the acceptance of Robredo to the post during a meeting of the committee also on Wednesday.

READ: Robredo accepts Duterte’s drug czar post appointment

“The members of the ICAD are happy and we will expect that she will make a call within the week,” he said over ABS-CBN News Channel.

“All the members are ecstatic and hoping that within the week or next week if she wants to see the members then I can call for the presence of the members of the ICAD,” he added.

Aquino, who will now share the chairmanship of ICAD with Robredo, said that the committee plans to brief the Vice President on its accomplishments since its establishment in 2017, the situation of the drug menace in the country, and its upcoming programs to curb the ills of drugs.

Aquino said that his co-chair may focus on the rehabilitation and reintegration, and advocacy clusters of ICAD, while he will handle the law enforcement and justice clusters.

“It does not mean that just because she handles those two clusters, she does not have any say on those two clusters I am handling, so she can put any program or maybe do something for the betterment of our meeting,” he explained.

He said he expects a lot of questions and issues that will be brought out during the committee’s possible meeting with Robredo, who has since raised concerns on deaths of suspects in the drug war.

He added that the ICAD will also support its new co-chairperson.

“As I have said to members of the ICAD, let us give our full support to the Vice President so that we can finally address the problem on illegal drugs working together,” the PDEA chief said./je