Robredo: Duterte should tell it to my face if he wants me out of ICAD

If President Rodrigo Duterte wants Vice President Leni Robredo out as co-chair of the inter-agency committee on anti-illegal drugs (ICAD) over trust issues, he should tell it directly to her.

This was the pronouncement made by Robredo when asked if she thought the President's statement that he could not trust her was another way of saying she should vacate the ICAD post.

"Eh dapat deretsuhin na lang ako. Deretso naman ako kausap. Kung ayaw niya ako dito in the first place, bakit ako in-appoint? Kung nagkamali siya sa pag-appoint sa akin, sabihin nya lang," Robredo told reporters on Wednesday.

But the Vice President stressed that she never quits from jobs assigned to her, no matter how big or small.

"Ako never ako umayaw sa trabaho kapag binigyan ako ng trabaho. Kahit gaano iyon kaliit, gagawin ko iyong aking lahat ng makakaya para gampanan ang trabahong binigay sa akin," she said.

“It is always worth working for something we believe in... Naniniwala ako na marami akong macoco-contribute sa kampanya laban sa ilegal na droga,” Robredo added.

Duterte appointed Robredo to the ICAD post two weeks ago after the Vice President said that the drug war is not working because drug war deaths do not reduce the drug menace in the country.

Revisit appointment

Robredo's partymate and former President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III earlier expressed confusion over Duterte’s mistrust of the Vice President considering that he already appointed her as drug czar.

In light of the issue, Aquino said the criteria for appointment should be revisited.

Aquino and Robredo both belong to the Liberal Party.

Robredo has turned down the offer of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino of giving her classified information about high value drug targets, saying she would not even look at it, until Duterte has clarified her specific mandate as ICAD co-chair.

At a late night press conference on Tuesday, Duterte said he could not trust Robredo, especially since she belongs to the opposition.

Duterte said he could also not trust Robredo to be with him in Cabinet meetings.

Malacañang had said Duterte changed his mind in giving Robredo a Cabinet post due to “missteps” she allegedly committed as co-chair of the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.

Untenable post

Senator Panfilo Lacson said Robredo's position at the ICAD has become untenable with Duterte’s statement that he could not trust her.

Lacson said responsibility without commensurate authority is a guaranteed formula for failure.

Duterte’s spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President’s “disinclination” to appoint Robredo to the Cabinet came after she met with foreign institutions and personalities.

Robredo had meetings with US officials, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime representatives and other community-based advocacy groups in relation to the illegal drug problem.

The US has criticized the deadly drug war campaign, while the UN Human Rights Council agreed in July to compile a comprehensive report on Duterte's three-year crackdown.

Duterte appointed Robredo as co-chair of the ICAD, following her statement that the drug war of the administration has failed. 

Robredo however said she intends to proceed "full steam ahead" in her work as ICAD co-chair, whether the position has a Cabinet rank or not. 

On Wednesday, Robredo also belied President Rodrigo Duterte's claims that she has reached out to International Criminal Court prosecutors in connection with the government's controversial anti-illegal drugs campaign. — MDM, GMA News