Liberals back Robredo recommendations on 'drug war'
MANILA, Philippines — Members of the minority Liberal Party have backed Vice President Leni Robredo's call to revamp the administration's campaign against illegal narcotics, with Sen. Leila De Lima saying the Palace tried to discredit the vice president's report without having read it.
Robredo held a press conference on Monday to present a report etailing her comments and recommendations from her brief stint as co-chair of the Inter-agency Committee on Anti-illegal Drugs (ICAD).
Among other things, Robredo called for more accurate data for better decision-making. Citing government figures, she said authorities only managed to seize about one percent of the amount of shabu in the Philippines estimated by the Philippine National Police.
De Lima, a partymate of the vice president, said the Robredo report was "a well-researched, data-driven and a completely objective look on the President's War on Drugs."
She said Robredo's comments "reveal[ed] a deep grasp of the real drug situation, including the gaps and shortcomings in the bureaucratic structures and strategies."
"Meanwhile, Panelo attempted to discredit her report even without reading it," she added.
"It is hypocritical of Panelo to dismiss VP Leni because she didn't take part in any ground operations during her 18-day stint when not even the president did so in all of his three and a half years in office."
In a separate press statement, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan said he is with Robredo in calling for an end to drug-related killings. The government has repeatedly said that extrajudicial killings are not government policy and that the more than 5,500 killed in anti-narcotics operations forced law enforcement to kill them by violently resisting arrest.
"Stop the daily killings and help those who have been affected by the killings, especially the children who lost their parents and those who lost spouses in the drug war," he said in Filipino.
Pangilinan, president of the LP, also called for accountability from "ninja cops"—police officers who allegedly resell seized narcotics—as well as drug syndicates and Customs officials with whom they may be in league.
Rep. Kit Belmonte (Quezon City), LP secretary general, meanwhile disputed claims by Duterte allies that Robredo was all talk and offered nothing new.
"VP Leni's recommendations had concrete steps: Target big-time suppliers; pour support into prevention, rehabilitation, and reintegration; end 'Tokhang' and lay down clear operational guidelines for anti-drug operations; and push laws and policies to address the root causes of the drug problem," he said in Filipino.
Robredo said Monday that among the measures that should be marked for urgent passage into law are those that give funding to Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils.
READ: Duterte's offer for Leni not an admission that drug war failed — Panelo
Palace on Robredo: No expertise, short tenure
In response to the vice president's findings, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo played down the data she cited, claiming also that she was "just trying to be relevant."
When told the data cited was from the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency cited, Panelo backtracked and said he would leave it up to the agencies to comment.
PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, former PNP chief, also slammed Robredo's pronouncements, saying these were a mere political attack that discredited the accomplishments on the anti-drug campaign.
'A constant battle'
Senate President Vicente Sotto for his part said the so-called drug war "fails only when you stop fighting. It's a constant battle vs drug dealers, drug dependents, corrupt officials and cerebrally challenged critics."
Sen. Panfilo Lacson echoed these sentiments, saying the drug war is a "continuing fight" and has simple just been "not successful enough rather [than a] failure." However, Lacson backed Robredo's call for the administration to shift their focus "on the demand side more than the demand side or what we call the low-life street pushers."
READ: Robredo points out 'inconsistent' government data on 'drug war'
International entities including Amnesty International, the United Nations and the Human Rights Watch have condemned President Rodrigo's "war on drugs" and the countless summary executions tied to them, which they say have deprived victims of due process.
According to the latest report by the PDEA, 5,552 "drug personalities" have been killed in police operations. The constant narrative has been that suspects resisted arrest and fought back.
"That is precisely what is wrong with this government: all politics and blusters, no substance," De Lima said Tuesday.
"There is too much politicking and bluster and data is set aside. By settiing aside the truth in the War on Drugs, the drug lords win and the people lose," the senator, who is in detention over a drug-related case that she said is motivated by politics, said.
RELATED: The War on Drugs: In-depth reports and analyses on the government's bloody anti-narcotics campaign
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