MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday brushed off President Rodrigo Duterte’s harsh comments, which described her as a “colossal blunder” following her pronouncement that the government’s war on drugs was “a massive failure.”
Robredo, however, expressed hope that Duterte would be open to the recommendations she had laid down in her 40-page report, part of which she disclosed to the public on Monday.
The government had failed to curb the drug supply, she said, as it disproportionately focused its resources on street-level enforcement.
“I don’t have to defend myself,”the Vice President said at a press briefing. “Our report is proof that I have worked well. We were very, very careful in finalizing it and we did not use data that did not come from government agencies.”
She added: “It’s up to the President if he will follow any of the recommendations. But I hope he will be open to suggestions — and that he would face the truth that there are gaps [in the antidrug campaign] and we should work together on addressing them.”
Instead of criticizing her and crying foul over her report, Robredo said the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, whose chief Aaron Aquino had expressed doubt on the figures she quoted, should instead communicate with the Philippine National Police.
“Maybe it’s better if they first talk among themselves,”she said. “If the PNP’s estimate is wrong, then what are the real figures? If there is no basis, they should not report it because the people will, of course, believe what the government is saying.”
Referring to the figures quoted in Robredo’s report, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the success of the drug war could not be measured by “mere arithmetic.”
“People deterred from [using] illegal drugs do not raise their arms to be surveyed. The truth is found in the stories of families at home and the changes in their neighborhood,” the Senate leader said.
Although the President slammed her for allegedly doing nothing, Robredo said she only did her job as cochair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs, a position given her by Duterte himself, before he fired her after 18 days in the post.
Her report was not mere a criticism of the program against narcotics, the Vice President said, adding that she had also acknowledged the efforts of performing government agencies while shedding light on the lapses and areas of improvement of other bodies.
Administration officials and allies were quick to dismiss Robredo’s report, calling it “inaccurate and unfair” after she gave the drug war a failing grade of 1 over 100, but she stood by her pronouncements and underscored that she had cited figures coming from government agencies.
“I’m not an enemy — period,” she said, responding to claims that her efforts were part of her posturing for higher office in 2022. “The mere fact that I accepted the challenge, I was extending my hand to help.”
‘Unacceptable’
Robredo challenged government agencies to review and reconcile their data, which she had repeatedly questioned for being cluttered and inconsistent.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año meanwhile described the 1 out of 100 score that Robredo gave the enforcement of the drug war as “unacceptable’’ and “illogical,” and said that he would take the score as a challenge to prove her wrong.
“We will reassess and adjust our strategy,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the PNP’s new year’s call on the interior secretary in Camp Crame on Wednesday.—With reports from Marlon Ramos and Jeannette Andrade