MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte seems to be washing his hands of his “failed, brutal” drug war when he dared Vice President Leonor “Leni” Robredo to run the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs for six months.
This was the comment of opposition congressman and Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman on Tuesday following the Chief Executive’s controversial remark on Monday.
READ: Duterte dares Robredo: Lead drug war
“President Rodrigo Duterte appears to be washing his hands of his failed brutal war on drugs, and is tossing the narcotics problem for Vice President Leni Robredo to solve,” Lagman said in a statement.
The lawmaker, who is also a lawyer, pointed out that without the corresponding real power and constitutional mandate, Robredo cannot take up the President’s challenge or ruse.
“She is not the President’s alter ego but his well-meaning critic who has no authority,” Lagman added.
The House member also reminded Duterte that “stronghanded and violence-driven” police and military campaigns against drug pushers and users had failed in the United States, Mexico, Colombia, and Thailand because “the drug problem is more a poverty issue and a health concern rather than a police matter.”
Duterte’s challenge to Robredo came after she said there is a need to reassess the former’s bloody drug war after it failed to curb the number of drug users in the country.
Citing data from the Dangerous Drugs Board and the President himself, the Vice President said the number of drug users grew to seven to eight million in 2019, from 1.8 million in 2016 when Duterte assumed office.
READ: Robredo: I said reassess – not stop – drug war
Over 5,500 individuals have been killed in the government’s crackdown against illegal narcotics, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. But human rights groups have counted that as much as 27,000 lives have been claimed by the drug war death and by unknown hitmen. /je