Panelo: VP can skip Cabinet meetings if drugs not on agenda

Vice President Leni Robredo, the country’s new drug czar, may choose not to attend Cabinet meetings if the campaign against narcotics is not on the agenda.

President Rodrigo Duterte will only invite Robredo, the cochair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs, if the war on drugs will be discussed.

‘It’s optional’

“He said, ‘That’s why I replied yes, I will invite her, as long as it’s about the drug operations.’ But if she’s not needed, she’s not. I said she’s lucky,”  presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in an interview on television on Thursday.

Later, at a press briefing, Panelo explained that Cabinet officials are invited to the meetings and are asked by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles to confirm if they are coming.

“In other words, it’s optional for us to attend, because if it’s not your topic there, you’ll have to stay there for the rest of the meeting until the wee hours of the morning,” he said.

But this does not mean that Robredo, the nominal leader of the political opposition, cannot comment on the Duterte administration’s other projects or concerns.

“[T]here is a transcript [of the meeting] and that is given to all members of the Cabinet. So if you feel like commenting on any topic, you can do that,” Panelo said.

Earlier, Robredo said she would attend Cabinet meetings as cochair of the interagency committee if she would be invited.

Robredo has been meeting  with the interagency committee, representatives of several organizations, including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and of US groups fighting narcotics, since accepting the lead role in the government’s crackdown on illegal drugs.

She has also announced plans to meet with foreign law enforcement experts for discussions on the drug situation in the country and how to handle it.

Panelo said Robredo was doing the right thing in studying the situation first and getting recommendations from law-enforcement agencies.

He also expressed approval of Robredo meeting with US and UN officials to educate herself on American and global counternarcotics efforts.

“There’s a coordination between this government and the American government with respect to that. Just to be informed, she has to inform herself. How can she take the next step if she doesn’t know what’s happening?” Panelo said.

‘It’s educational’

He added: “It’s educational. She doesn’t know anything about it. So, that is the right step, knowing what are the facts, what are the agreements, and what are you presently doing. How [c]ould you make a move if you [didn’t] know the situation [on] your turf?”

Panelo renewed his call to the public to just let Robredo do her job, noting that she had been at the helm of the interagency committee for just a week.

“Everyone can have something to contribute and help. Let us not underestimate or diminish the capability of any person. I’m sure she can contribute something there,” he said.