Robredo hits PDEA chief’s inconsistent remarks

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday expressed disappointment over Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino’s inconsistent remarks when they were cochairs of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (Icad).

“I find it funny, but also disappointing … But for several instances, what he tells me is different from what he tells the media,” she said in her weekly radio show.

Last week, Aquino said Robredo had made some “missteps” during her short stint as Icad cochair. One of which, he said, was not meeting all the clusters under Icad.

But Robredo belied his statements, saying that she met with all four clusters, namely enforcement, justice, advocacy and rehabilitation and reintegration, with Aquino even present in that meeting.

The Vice President also scored Aquino for saying that she did not have any significant contribution in the antidrug campaign.

She said that in a closed-door meeting a few days before she was sacked, Aquino even told her: “Ma’am, don’t leave us. Don’t leave us because so many things have happened when you came … It was hard to make the agencies follow my orders because I am only an undersecretary.”