President Rodrigo Duterte will create an anti-drug commission if Vice President Leni Robredo will accept his offer to serve as the administration’s drug czar in the next six months, Malacañang said Tuesday.
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But Robredo refused to respond, saying the country’s problems could not be solved through insults.
“I don’t want to answer that because I don’t know how serious he is,” Robredo told reporters in Bandingan, Iloilo.
“We must not get irritated when we talk about the problem of our country. We cannot get it done by insulting someone. We must always look for solutions.”
Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said if President Duterte was serious in his proposal to Robredo to take over his war on drugs, it would be best for her to be appointed head of the Dangerous Drug Board.
He also suggested that she be designated director general of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
But Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Panfilo Lacson said they did not want Robredo to lead the war against drugs.
On Monday, Duterte dared Robredo to head his campaign against illegal drugs, and after her remarks that the government reassess its anti-narcotics campaign.
Duterte floated the offer following a report by Reuters quoting Robredo as saying the government should abandon its anti-drug campaign because it was “not working.”
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the President’s challenge was serious and an opportunity for Robredo to prove her mettle as head of the opposition.
“That’s a challenge to her, and I think she should take the opportunity,” Panelo told reporters.
All drug-related agencies were likely to be under her supervision if Robredo accepted the offer.
Panelo also defended the drug war, claiming there were millions of drug surrenderees, dismantled drug factories and confiscated narcotics since Duterte took office in 2016.
He also said the police operations resulted in the killing of drug users and sellers who resisted arrest.
“If you cannot call it a success, I don’t know what is,” Panelo said.
Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs has been criticized by local and international human rights groups, citing alleged police abuses and vigilante-style killings. With Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta
