Robredo to divulge drug war findings next week

Vice President Leni Robredo. INQUIRER.net file photo / Noy Morcoso

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo is set to release her findings and observations on the government’s drug war on December 16, Monday, she said in an ambush interview on Tuesday.

“Yung ulat hinihintay lang natin matapos ‘yong SEA Games, matatapos siya on Thursday, pero nasa Basilan at Marawi kasi ako so probably sa Monday gagawin dahil wala ako the rest of the week,” Robredo said.

(Regarding the report, it will be finished on Thursday, we are just waiting for the SEA Games to end, but I will be in Basilan and Marawi so most probably it will be released on Monday because I will be out for the rest of the week.)

“Most probably Monday,” she added.

Robredo’s statements came in view of anticipation from critics and supporters alike regarding the publication of her report, which was collated before she was fired as Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) co-chair last November 24.

The Vice President previously said that she would wait for the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to end before she would announce the findings in order not to shift attention from the sporting event.

Robredo was appointed ICAD co-chair by President Rodrigo Duterte last October 31, which she accepted on November 6.  Her designation came after the President was frustrated with her interview with a foreign news outlet where she allegedly called a stop on the drug war campaign of the government.

During her stint at ICAD, Robredo pushed for the scrapping of Oplan Tokhang, the integration of community-based rehabilitation efforts, and the creation of a baseline data on the drug war.

However, her post also accompanied several obstacles, as she was initially prevented from seeing the list of high-value drug targets as it was deemed confidential and unnecessary for her to see.

But when her co-chair, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Aaron Aquino tried to show her a copy of the confidential data, Robredo begged off pending clarification from Duterte on the scope and limitations of her role.

Edited by JPV