Vice
President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo is as always made sure she will have the
last say about her erstwhile 8 day stint as the country’s dug czar.
She finds that time was worthwhile and not a wasted opportunity
as she was able to “discover” the lapses in President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s
controversial war on drugs and draw up recommendations to make the campaign
“more humane and effective.”
“My 18 days with ICAD gave me the
platform to push for a better strategy and to make the campaign more humane and
effective,” the 54-year-old Robredo said.
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| Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo (photo credit to owner) |
She explains that she has no regrets
in taking the challenge of the Duterte government of taking the Drug czar post
despite the warnings from her allies and even if she knew from the beginning
she would not get the President’s full trust and support.
“Despite the unfriendly environment,
I still grabbed the chance because I believe it was a big opportunity to us to
assess what was being done and to influence a change of policy to finally put
an end to the brutal killings that was happening in our midst,” Robredo said.
“I knew that I would not be given
much time, so even with the limitations and the unrelenting condescension and
mansplaining, I got down to business as soon as I got appointed: reaching out
to the agencies involved in the campaign, to the organizations and sectors that
have a stake in this fight and to the communities, both deeply affected by and
thriving against the drug problem,” she said.
“Walang tapon sa 18 days na iyon
(There was nothing wasted in those 18 days),” Robredo, one of the staunch
critics of Duterte’s war on drugs, said.
“At the very least, I am glad that we
were able to start putting things in order, to synchronize the many
uncoordinated parts that are supposed to be under ICAD’s supervision,” she
added.
Vice President Robredo believes the
government alone cannot end the illegal drugs problem in the country.
“I know how important this fight is
for our countrymen. And as I have said before, this is not just the fight of
the government but of the entire nation,” she said.
“My whirlwind stint in ICAD has only
inspired me to continue taking on the advocacy of pushing for an
evidence-based, data-driven and more effective campaign against illegal drugs,”
she said.
“While we have long been working with
various groups who share the same advocacy, the time I spent in ICAD has given
me a better perspective of how we can push for a more humane and responsive
anti-drug campaign. We will continue to pursue this,” she said.
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