Panelo: Those pleased with Robredo’s ICAD stint are backers of ‘attacks’ vs drug war

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos who expressed satisfaction on Vice President Leni Robredo’s abbreviated stay at the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) are believers of the “incessant, unrelenting” attacks against President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, Malacañang said Thursday.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo issued the statement after a survey, conducted by the Social Weather Station from December 13 to 16, 2019, showed that 44 percent of Filipinos are satisfied with Robredo’s stint as co-chair of anti-drug body.

“‘Yun ang napaniwala doon sa mga (Those people are the ones who were made to believe the) incessant, unrelenting attacks against the drug war of the President. But as I have pointed out earlier, this is contradicted by the people’s satisfaction of how he is handling the drug war,” he said.

Duterte previously appointed the opposition stalwart as co-chair of ICAD after the latter criticized his brutal war on drugs. In less than 20 days, Duterte fired Robredo supposedly due to “incompetence.”

The same survey also found out that at least 49 percent of Filipinos agree that Robredo’s removal from the ICAD post is an admission that the brutal drug war is “failing.”

But Panelo, who is also Duterte’s legal counsel, refuted this and claimed that the drug war “failed” during Robredo’s stint at ICAD.

“Failing because she was the co-chair (of ICAD) for 18 days. Kaya nag-fail (That’s why it failed),” Panelo said.

Shortly after her stay at ICAD, Robredo came out with a report tagging the government’s drug war as a “failure” because it hardly scratched the surface of the drug menace despite all the money and resources given to it by the Duterte administration.

Citing government data, the Vice President said shabu supply and drug money were only reduced by 1 percent in the last three years. She also recommended that the chairmanship of ICAD be transferred from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to the Dangerous Drugs Board as the latter, according to her, has the capacity to lead the campaign from all facets.

But the President rejected her recommendation, calling her a “colossal blunder.”

Edited by KGA