Robredo maintains PDEA chief asked her to stay as ICAD co-chair

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo maintained on Sunday that Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Aaron Aquino urged her to stay on as Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) co-chair.

In her weekly radio show, Robredo said she even got goosebumps upon reading Aquino’s statement denying he urged the Vice President to stay in the committee.

“Actually, noong nakita ko ‘yung statement, parang kinilabutan ako. Kasi noong sinabi niya ‘yun sa akin, maraming nakikinig doon sa kaniyang opisina. Nasa long table kami na nandoon ‘yung buong PDEA board. Ako, katabi ko ‘yung aking chief of staff. Ako, sigurado ako narinig nila ‘yun,” she said.

(Actually I got goosebumps when I read the statement. When he said that to me, there were many who were listening in his office. We were in a long table with the entire PDEA board. I was beside my chief of staff. I am sure they heard him say that.)

“Hindi ko lubos maisip na mayroong mga nakarinig tapos i-dedeny mo. Parang, anong gustong sabihin nito sa pagkatao mo? Na kaya mong magsinungaling na harap-harapan? Pero, problema na niya ‘yun. Hindi ko na ‘yun problema,” she also said.

(I cannot comprehend why he can deny it when there were a lot of others who heard him say it. What does this say about his personality? That he can bluntly lie? But that is his problem, not mine.)

“Nakakadismaya… Hinubog siya para maging modelo (It is disappointing… He was molded to be a model),” Robredo added.
Robredo, in her radio program aired December 15, claimed that Aquino urged her to stay as ICAD,co-chair, saying that it was hard for him to command other members of the committee since he only holds the rank of undersecretary as PDEA chief.

READ: Robredo: PDEA chief Aquino asked me to stay as ICAD co-chair

Aquino was quick to dispute this a day after, claiming it was Robredo who said she will not leave ICAD as long as President Duterte wants her to stay put.

READ: Aquino: I did not ask Robredo to stay as drug czar

Duterte sacked Robredo as ICAD co-chair just 18 days after she was appointed.

Aside from other reasons including the Vice President’s supposed failure to present a new anti-drug program, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said this was “in response to the taunt and dare of Robredo for the President to just tell her that he wants her out.”

READ: Duterte fires Robredo from ICAD

GSG