Panelo insists he texted Robredo about Duterte’s drug czar offer

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Wednesday insisted that he texted Vice President Leni Robredo about President Rodrigo Duterte’s offer for her to head the war on drugs for six months.

Panelo showed reporters a text message that he sent from his phone, saying that he sent it to Robredo on Monday night, asking her if she was willing to take the offer.

The message reads: "May offer tabi sa imo si PRRD na mag Drug Czar ka for six months, will you accept?"

Presidential spokesperson holds up his phone showing a message that he said he sent to Vice President Leni Robredo. Photo: Virgil Lopez

He also called what he claimed to be the vice president’s number during the ambush interview but nobody answered.

Robredo on Tuesday denied receiving any text message from Panelo. She also said that she was unsure if Duterte was serious with his statement.

She also said of Panelo's supposed text to her, "[K]ung seryoso, bakit ite-text, di ba?"

Panelo on Wednesday said Duterte was serious about the offer.

“The President is serious. The fact alone that he said it on national television and he said that he will write her through the Executive Secretary speaks of seriousness of the tone,” the Palace spokesman said.

Panelo added Robredo “should not be offended” by the text message “giving her a heads up or an advance information for her to ponder.”

“Such must be considered as a gesture of a friend to another given our history of sharing cellular texts with each other. In all honesty, I even thought that I was giving her a favor to which I anticipated an appreciative reply,” he said.

He reiterated his call for Robredo to accept the drug czar post, saying it was a “rare opportunity to show everyone that you’re not just good at criticizing.”

“The President is giving you the chance to show that it is ineffective and yours is effective.”

In a separate statement, Panelo said Duterte’s offer does not mean that the war on drugs is a failure.

“The offer is a sincere gesture on the part of President Duterte for VP Leni to provide her the venue to undertake a new tact in solving the drug menace, if in her mind the present method of dealing with the scourge of the prohibited drugs is a failure or ineffective. She may have a better solution,” he said. “Entertaining the offer as insulting is an exercise in intellect devoid of logic.“

Duterte made the offer on Monday in response to Robredo’s statement that the anti-narcotics campaign was not working because it allegedly failed to curb drug use.

“Siya ang magdala. Tignan natin kung ano ang mangyari. Hindi ako makialam. Sige, gusto mo? Mas bright ka? Sige, ikaw. Subukan mo,” Duterte said. — BM, GMA News