Lagman twits Panelo: Robredo report hits the bull’s eye

MANILA, Philippines – A “dud” that hit the bull’s eye.

Liberal Party stalwart and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman lashed out at Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo’s attempt to downplay the report of Vice President Leni Robredo that labeled President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal drug war as a “massive failure.”

Robredo, in her report as erstwhile co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), said the government was unsuccessful in stopping the supply of illegal drugs from the source.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo, however, claimed Robredo’s report, was a “dud.”

“It’s a ‘dud’ which hit the bull’s eye,” Lagman said in a statement.

Lagman said the administration cannot deny that the drug war is a failure, as the numbers presented by Robredo came from government agencies like the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

“Contrary to what Panelo said that Robredo is not an expert to enable her to render the drug report, one does not have to be an expert to assess the magnitude of the drug problem as documented in official data and figures, and compare the same to the minuscule achievement of the Duterte administration, which is also recorded,” Lagman said.

“The Robredo report even confirms the President’s admission during an election rally in Malabon City that his drug campaign is a failure,” he added.

According to Robredo’s report, only 1,344 kilos of shabu were seized by authorities from January to October in 2019.  But following PNP’s consumption of 3,000 kilograms of shabu per week — or 156,000 kilograms per year — total seizures would just be a meager amount.

She also noted that the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) was only able to freeze P1.4 billion of drug assets — small numbers considering that 3,000 kilograms of shabu translates to P25 billion per week or P1.3 trillion per year.

Shortly after delivering her report, Panelo slammed the vice president, saying her report merely reflected the opposition’s “desperation for relevance.”