MANILA, Philippines – Administration allies, judging by their words, seem unprepared for Vice President Leni Robredo taking on part of the leadership of the war against illegal drugs, lawyer Barry Gutierrez, vice presidential spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Gutierrez assured them that Robredo knew how tough the task at hand would be — apparently a reaction to the advice of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa that the Vice President would have to be tough and could not just play cute.
Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, former presidential aide, also expressed fears that Robredo might just end up “babying” drug lords.
“VP Leni knows the seriousness of the work she accepted,” Gutierrez said in Filipino in a statement released hours after Robredo accepted the offer for her to co-chair the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) with Aaron Aquino, chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
“She is ready for it. With all the doubts they have expressed, it appears that they’re not ready for her,” Gutierrez added.
READ: Dela Rosa tells Robredo: ‘This is war… hindi ka pwedeng pa-cute dito’
READ: With new role in drug war, Robredo might ‘baby’ the drug lords – Bong Go
Earlier in the day, Robredo held a press conference where she announced her acceptance of the post offered by President Rodrigo Duterte. In a short speech, she downplayed doubts on her capacity to handle the job, as even Aquino himself had expressed.
“This issue is not a game. It’s a serious matter when lives are at stake. They’re asking me if I am ready for this task. My question is: Are you ready for me?”
READ: Robredo to gov’t after accepting anti-drug post: Are you ready for me
Gutierrez had this to say to Robredo’s critics: “They challenged VP Leni to help in the campaign against illegal drugs. The VP accepted the challenge wholeheartedly. Now, she was not even started her work and they’re already hitting her. So who’s playing politics now?”
After days of remaining mum about the President’s challenge, Robredo accepted the proposal because she considered it an opportunity to prevent more drug war killings.
Shortly after President Duterte took office, official data revealed that more than 5,500 drug suspects were killed during legitimate police operations, but members of the opposition are insisting that the actual figure may be anywhere from 11,000 to 30,000.
READ: BREAKING: Robredo accepts drug czar post offer
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