Robredo on drug czar offer: Kung walang failure, bakit ipapasa sa akin?

Vice President Leni Robredo belied claims by presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo that he texted her about the offer to be the new anti-drug czar, saying this puts to question the sincerity of the move.

“Diyos ko naman. Unang una, wala akong natanggap. Saka kung seryoso, bakit ite-text, di ba?,” Robredo said in an interview in Iloilo.

“Kahit walang paggalang sa akin, igalang na lang iyong posisyon. Kung ite-text ka ng isang bagay na ganiyan, hindi iyon seryoso. Kasi marami namang paraan para ipaabot sa akin kung talagang... talagang seryoso. Pero iyong sa akin lang, ano ba naman iyan,” Robredo added.

President Rodrigo Duterte has said that he will ask Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to formalize Robredo’s appointment as anti-drug czar, a pitch he made on Monday following questions raised by the Vice President about the effectivity of the  illegal drug campaign.

Robredo, however, was not biting the bait.

“Sasagutin ko kapag nakatanggap na ako, kasi as of now, speculative lahat. Unang una, wala pa naman akong natatanggap. Sunod, kung may matanggap man, kailangan ko mabasa muna. Maraming beses na nakatanggap na ako ng invitation, babawiin nila,” Robredo said.

Robredo said the drug war has failed in certain aspects, considering that the President has dared her to do the job herself.

“Kung walang failure, bakit ipapasa sa akin? ‘Di ba? Kasi ipapasa mo lang ang isang bagay kapag hindi mo na kayang gawin,” Robredo said.

“Kung successful kasi siya, hindi kailangang ipasa, kasi wala nang ipapasa, eh. Kasi nagawa mo na. Pero kung ipapasa mo sa iba, hindi ba admission iyon na ang dami pang kailangan gawin?,” she added.

Robredo reiterated that drug users should be put under rehabilitation rather than be treated as criminals who should be killed.

The drug dealers, Robredo said, should be the ones prosecuted for their crime.

“Kahit patayin natin iyong lahat na addicts, hindi pa din iyon mahihinto, kasi hindi natin nahahabol iyong mga malalaki. Eh nakita naman natin iyong numero,” Robredo said.

“Iyong numbers, hindi naman galing sa akin,” she added. —LDF, GMA News