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| Photo courtesy of GMA Network |
Manila, Philippines - President Rodrigo Duterte gladly received Vice President
Leni Robredo’s decision to accept her newly assigned task as co-chairperson of
the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), according to
Malacañang.
Presidential Spokesperson
Salvador Panelo said that during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the chief
executive mentioned it was “good” that Robredo agreed to become be his co-chair
of the ICAD.
“With the Vice President at the helm of the
anti-narcotics campaign, President Duterte expects that the former would see
the realities on the ground, particularly with respect to the government’s
position against extrajudicial or state-sponsored killings, and understand that
deaths occur due to the violent reactions on the part of agents of the illegal
drug trade against the strict enforcement of the law,” said Panelo.
Duterte issued a memorandum last
Thursday, October 31, designating Robredo as ICAD co-chair to lead the campaign
against illegal drugs until June 30, 2022.
In the same manner, Duterte
also ordered all government law enforcement agencies to “extend their full assistance and cooperation to the Vice President to
ensure the success of the Government’s efforts in the war against illegal drugs.”
The Vice President maintains her position against the drug
war, particularly against the ever growing number of extrajudicial killings in
the conduct of anti-drug operations.
Robredo said in a televised speech Wednesday, she is
accepting the President’s offer as drug czar to stop the killings and hold
accountable those behind rights abuses in the drug war.
"At kahit sabihin
na nating ang alok na ito ay pamumulitika lamang, at hindi naman talaga ako
susundin ng mga ahensya, at gagawin nila ang lahat para hindi ako magtagumpay,
handa akong tiisin ang lahat ng ito. Dahil kung mayroon akong maililigtas na
kahit isang inosenteng buhay, ang sinasabi ng prinsipyo at puso ko ay kailangan
ko itong subukan," Robredo explained.
Source: Philstar
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