News TUESDAY November 26, 2019

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pE*HSUe fi g h
"In the davs to come, I will be giving a repon
to the public. T wilt be discloslng all that I have
discovered and all ofmy recommendations Rest
assured, even if I was removed ftom my post, they
oan nover take away m5 determinarion.' she said ,
public hu discovuies She sajd she is determined to stop drug-related
deaths, run after those behind tbem and win the
--"ii
campaign against illegal drugs.
By Rio N. Araia, Mj Blancaflor, tft filiol trri.-t"no.tl *i11 just stop there;
Maricel V. crilz' they just dori't know- I am just aboul to begin," she
and Macon Ramos-Araneta s6id. r:
After apologizing for believing fake news tha:t
tFau gsPtrE herremoval as n"Ut"O" it*ltEO IJa ed Nations'investigdiors to
look into the govemment's bloody war on drugs;
[ r]
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co-chairperson ofthe
Inlglagency Committee on
President Rodiigo Duterte fired the vice president
as ICAD co-chairperson.
He said he was offended when Robredo and even
-,Arlti-illegal Drugs, Vi.ae"P,resident Senator Francis Pangilinan taunted him to remove
Leni Robredo said Monday she the vice president if he could not trust her.
is not giving up the fight against Robre-do, who was in Naga City, Camarhes Sur
for the signing ofan agreement witb Pilipinas Shell
illegal drugs. Foundation lnc., said despite forewamirgs that
she should not accept the President's offer for her
, -1o my beloved coutrtrymen. as your vice presi-
to lead the anti-drug campaign, she accepted the
dent. my biggesr responsibility lies in you,'i. she
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challenge, and did not waste time to meet with
agency-n1elnbers of the ICAD, consult with
,various sectors of society, visit communities,
talk to iocal goverrmeDt unils and inspect
l€habilitation centers.
, "Immediately, there had been attacks, and
'endless criticisms,
[Thcy said] I was weak.
That I musl not rneddle with police mAtters,
'Ihat I cannot be trusted, They helped olle
another and unified so that I would not
succeecl," she said,
"lfwe all have the same objective, why not
justhelp each other? Aren't they serious in this
fight? Or have we touched someone's interest?
'lvhen t acceptedthejob, the firstthingtlat
I osked ol them was ifthey were ready to work
with me. Now, my qriestioll is, what are you
aid otl" she askecl.
' trfi "Mr Prcsirlent,I did not ask fo.this positioll,
but still I took th(r work seriously. Thc pcoplc
wJrll ,r dovcflrmcllL thirt woulJ rfltly clliltnlriLll
thc fight agaimt illegal dNgs. Renrcmbcl this,
oul enemies arc the illegal dlr.rgs and the drug
lords, and Dot me, especially not the people
themselves," sho said.
l'he Paiace said Robredo could do whatever
she pleases witit the inlbrmation she gathered
duing her 18-day stint as co-chair ofICAD,
Aithough the Pa-lace never gave Robredo the
Itime to cariy out any of her proposed reforms
:in lhe government's anti-drug campaign, the
President's spokesman said she was fired for
"incompetencc" and her "fhilure to introduce
lne1v measul es she ciaimed she had."
"She was weighed and found wanting,"
I'anelo said iD Filipino,
The Palace ollcial aiso dismissed as
nonsense speculation that President Duterte
llred Robredo over fears thal she might succeed
aud gain headway in the 2022 presidential race.
l{obredo, who was fircd balely three
weeks aller shc assumed thc post, was merely
''pr'.rnrJ+tirrrding ir'i 5lr( rlrlkLd lo lorcigl
groups critical of the adniristration's anti-
fuug campaign, Panclo said.
"She should have gone to the grassroots.
She should have gone to the comnunities, ialk
with the people there, know their proble s
on drugs...When you criticize somethirg on a
particularjob, you musthave some ideas in youl
mind, otherwise you cannot be criticizing,"
Panelo said in a relevision imerview.
"When you say that's bad, ifyou say that's
bad, thirt rneans you have some good ideas to
substitute tbr that. Bul she never prcsented any
program at all. She didrl't, What she did \'r'as to
call-what? How's that?" Paneio added.
llour.s before his departure for South Korea,
President Duterte fired Robredo "in response
to the suggestion of Liberal Pafy president,
Senalor frcnci. Pangilinon." lbe Palacc said.
Duing her sirort stint in ICAD, Robrcdo
met witl tlie 2l-menrber agencies of ICAD,
officials llom the Department of Health, the
UDited Nations Omce on Drugs and Crime and
Conmuiil.y+|ascd Drug Rehab Alliance, and
US I-mbassy olficials to discuss ho\+ t() irnprovc
connnunity-biiscd rehtbilitittio,t ceiltcrs.
Robrcdo also visited dfug-inlectcd
bifangays, asking for thcir coope.ation to gc1
ricl ofillegal drugs in their area.
She has previously suggested the creatiol
of a nbw anti-drug parnpaign to replace Oplan
Tokiang, wliich has'gained notoriety for
ailegcdly violaling human rights and depriving
suspects of the presunption of innocence.
Oplan Toldang is, the house{g-house
"knock and plead" ir tiative ofthepolice.to get
drug suspects to sufender,
Presidenl Duterte earlier said he could aot
trust Robredo aier she zsked lbr coafidential
drug war data, and aner he was infonncd tlut
the she supposedly invited forcign eDtities to tlrc
counhy. Duterte,.over the weekend, apologized
for believing il and reacting to "fake news."
Despite this, Duterte said he still could rot
trust Robredo because she was part oi the
polilical opposition.
President lDutertc appoirted Robrcdo as
ICAD co-chairon Oct, 3l: apparently irked by
r -fir4.pu$e
herrcmarks that the d|ug warwfls not working "Lhe President had 10 llre VI' Leui becausb
and should be rcexalri cd. shc may succeed whorc hc failcd. He had to do
llobredo accepted the lmsl on Nov.6 to lcnd - ir t'ccausc he cannot mlkc gooLJ ,'l his prortrisc
Duterte's flagship campaigrr 1)rat has killcd to resign," said Caboohan.
more than 5,000 drug suspects iur(l tllilt lrils "tl
any1hing, the Presidenl's decision to
been condemned by local and lorcign hrlnln lirc VP Lcni liom ICAD just proves that
rights groups. tho success of thc war on drugs is not th€ir
The chief of .the Philippinc Dlu11 corccrn. Ralhet it is their ego that they are
fnlorcernent Agenc) bupponed thc dueisiorr trying to savc.'l'he administration still refuses
ofthe Presidentto fir'e Robtedo. to ndnrit that its approach against tlle drug
"PDEA respects and believes inthewisdom ploblcrn has bcen flawed and reeds to be
ol the President," said PDEA chief Aaron rclblmorl," ho addcd.
Aquino in aVibermessage sent to reporters. I{cp. lrdccl Lagman of Albay shared a
Hunan Rights Watch Plilippines on Monday simiLirview.
accused tl]e President ofnot being "even remotely "The rnistakc olVicc Prcsidcnt Leni Robredo
sincerc ' in his appoinhnent ofRobredo. is that she look her role as anti-drugs czat very
"Was his offer of involving her in finding seriorlsly . while Prcsident Rodrigo Duterte
solutions to the situation of drugs in the considered her appointrnent as a flippant joke
Philippines ever really serious? H€ didn't eyer and an oflthe-cull'reaction to her cdticisms on
give Robredo the charce to show what she his bloody war againsl &ug$," Lagmqn said.
could dq to make the campaign against drugs Allies of President Duterte in tho,seDate
etfectivti and, most importalt, non-viole1rt and delended his decisiorrro firc llobredo.
rights-respecting;' said HRW Asia Researcher Senate President Vicente Sotto III noted
Carlos Conde. Robredo s appointment as ICAD co-choir is
"llJ, firing hcr on such ludicrous grounds, ha\ed nn lnrsl
Dutcrtc reveals he was uever oven remotely "Once trust is lost, the position is lo,6t,"lSotto
6i corc, itDd c)tposes his game to appoint hcr said
irs a tolal {hirnr;'( undc irJdcd. Pangilinan Snid Malucaflang's cxplanation
Surigrro rlcl N"rt, l{r'l) ltolrr r n (c I lirrbL.r s bchi|cl llohcclds rcmoval was "a desperate
defenderj the l\'csi{l(.nl s d((.rsirnr. suyillg ottonlDl rt bl.uliig othcrs fot thc,mes$ they
Robredo's qctions were not iD syno with tho thom$clvcs oreaicd."
President. 1,, r. Akab yar Rep. Risa llontiveros said
:'fi vou *" a presidential appointee. no Robredo's dismissul was not surprising ar all.
matter who you are; all your actions must 'Trgm the yery start, we knew what this
be in-sync with,.the appointing power," adoinistration's intentions were. But when
Barbers; chairman ofthe House committee oD Vice President Leni Robredo 'pourageously
dangerous drugs, said. i . respondcd to rhe challenge of lcrding
."VP Leni already knew the irritants to oul llrc canrnnjgn againsl illcgfll drugs. Ihis
President yet she contirjued with what she admitlishtion got entangled and bccaurc a
described as consultatio s with the diffeiert victim olits own trap," she said.
intemational bodics. Thal I think $howed fhat .
"Now thcrc can bc no doubt tbat l.he so-callcd
she is trcadiDg a diflbrent path;ftpm that of the 'invitation' to work with the Vice Presidell k)
President," Barbers added. clrb the counhyt drug problem was nolhing
Partylist l{ep. Mamrel Cabochan III of but an insincere sham. It also exposed lie
Magdalo said Robredo was fiLcd three wceks govemment's.unwillingDess to exploro and try
after being appointed because she was acturlly ncw ;rpprnr.clrcs cn,l.rJtcmilriv(s jn tllu catnpilign
moving in the ght dircction. against illcgai dIugs," Hontivcros said.
lleu)s't