Solon wants part of Duterte’s intel funds reallocated to Robredo anti-drug drive

Vice President Leni Robredo will have a hard time in her new post as co-chair of the inter-agency committee against illegal drugs since ICAD does not have enough resources, Robredo’s fellow Liberal Party member and Albay representative Edcel Lagman said Friday.

Lagman, in a statement, noted that the Duterte administration’s has only allotted resources for the Philippine National Police for the implementation of the anti-drug campaign.

In addition, Lagman said that the proposed 2020 budget only allotted a measly P15 million for Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as chair of ICAD.

“The multi-million peso funds appropriated to sustain the bloody war on illegal drugs and related intelligence outlays embedded in the proposed 2020 appropriations for the Philippine National Police (PNP) should be specifically reallocated to ICAD to support Robredo’s non-violent and innovative approaches to solve the drug menace,” Lagman said.

“Even the President’s huge intelligence and confidential funds amounting to P4.5 billion, which purportedly include covert operations on the violent drug war, should also be reduced to augment the funds of the ICAD,” Lagman added.

Robredo has earlier said that she will see to it that there will be no zero killings in implementing the administration’s drug war policy during her watch as ICAD co-chair.

At least 5,700 drug suspects have been killed in police operations since June 30, 2016. The said number, however, could reach as much as 20,000 based on the tally of human rights organizations if drug-related deaths committed by unidentified gunmen are included. — MDM, GMA News