Robredo opposes PC revival: ‘It cultivated abuse of power’

Vice President Leonor “Leni” Robredo. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

Will the revival of the Philippine Constabulary (PC) truly solve the country’s problems on illegal drugs and urban terrorism?

Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo posed this question as she expressed opposition to President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to bring back the defunct PC because it was an institution that “cultivated and supported abuse of power.”

READ: Philippine Constabulary revival eyed for war on drugs

“In thinking of reinstating the Philippine Constabulary, we must look at why it was removed in the first place. Historically, it was an institution that cultivated and supported abuse of power,” Robredo said in a statement on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, we can see this pattern forming in the Philippine National Police. We hope that before coming to a decision, the current problems in the PNP are solved and those responsible for abuse are held accountable, rather than using the reinstatement of the PC as a bandaid solution,” she said.

The PC was abolished in 1991 for the alleged abuses the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos sanctioned when he declared martial law.

Under the regime of late President Corazon Aquino, the PC merged with the Integrated National Police which would later be the civilian national police force, the Philippine National Police.

READ: Did you know: Philippine Constabulary

“Moreover, is reinstating the PC truly the solution to the problem of the proliferation of illegal drugs? It has been six months yet all the killings—amounting to 7,000—have been deterrents rather than decisive actions against drug producers and drug dealers,” said Robredo.

Robredo said it’s high time for the Duterte administration to “rethink” its strategy on eradicating drug proliferation in the country.

More than six months after President Duterte’s self-imposed deadline, Robredo said the country has “not seen any true accomplishments.”

“We believe that it is high time we rethink the strategy on fighting the war on drugs, for we are past the six-month deadline President Duterte set for himself, yet we have not seen any true accomplishments, and shifting the strategy to reinstating a historically abusive police force is, to us, the furthest from a step forward,” she said. /rga