PNP OIC Gamboa on giving Robredo high-value target list: I'll adhere to what PDEA says

The Philippine National Police (PNP) will adhere to what the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) will do as regards Vice President Leni Robredo's request to have access to the high-value target drug list, its officer-in-charge said on Monday.

"Remember, the PDEA is the head of the law enforcement cluster... Whatever the head says, I will always respect it being a member of the law enforcement... So yes, I adhere to what the director general says," Police Lieutenant General Archie Gamboa told reporters in Camp Crame.

However, Gamboa pointed out that Robredo, being a co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), should instead focus on the drug war's aspect of advocacy and rehabilitation.

"Would it really matter who are on the list? Kaya nga palagi naming sinasabi... ako ha I'm already suggesting na anyway the entire ICAD is composed of four different sub-committees," Gamboa said.

"Why would the VP not take the advocacy and the rehabilitation? Pasok 'yung sinasabi niya, the illegal drugs is actually a health problem so probably that can fall in advocacy and rehabilitation," he added.

Gamboa further said the law enforcement and prosecution aspect of the government's anti-illegal drugs should be left to the PNP, PDEA as well as the National Bureau of Investigation.

The PDEA has said it is willing to provide Robredo with the high-value target drug list, but only in a closed-door meeting and in the presence of personnel with the proper security clearance.

The anti-drug agency emphasized that the list was considered classified information, noting that everybody should not have a copy of it.

Meanwhile, Robredo said she would not insist to have access to the list if the agency refused to share it with her even she believes that the data will be of great help in her strategy in solving the drug menace. —KG, GMA News