Vice President Leni Robredo meets officials of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) at the DDB-PDEA Building in Quezon City on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, as part of her bid to harmonize the efforts of the Inter-agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), where she was appointed co-chairperson by President Rodrigo Duterte. (Photo by Jay Ganzon/OVP)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Vice President Leni Robredo as his drug czar but also said he doesn鈥檛 trust her, and so now, she is getting confused.聽
Emerging from a meeting with the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) on Wednesday, Robredo said it鈥檚 difficult to understand how Duterte doesn鈥檛 trust her when he designated her to co-lead his administration鈥檚 drug war.
鈥淗indi ko rin maintindihan kasi mahirap intindihin na walang tiwala sa akin pero inappoint ako. Pero again, pareho ang sinasabi ko, the mere fact na binigyan ako ng trabaho gagawin ko ng buong puso,鈥� she told reporters in an ambush interview.
(I also could not understand because it鈥檚 hard to understand that there鈥檚 no trust but I was appointed. Then again, like what I鈥檝e been saying, the mere fact that I was given work I will do my job with all my heart.)
Asked if she thinks Duterte鈥檚 remarks on Tuesday night could mean she wants her out as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), Robredo replied: 鈥淓h dapat diretsuhin na lang ako. Diretso naman akong kausap. Kung ayaw niya ako dito, in the first place, bakit ako in-appoint? Kung ayaw niya na, kung nagkamali siya sa pag-appoint sa akin at gusto niyang bawiin, sabihin lang.鈥�
(They should tell me frankly. I鈥檓 a candid person. If he doesn鈥檛 want me anymore, in the first place, why was I appointed? If he doesn鈥檛 want already, if he was mistaken about appointing me and he wants to take it back, just say so.)
Despite such a backdrop, Robredo nonetheless reiterated her commitment to her work as a co-chair of ICAD. She even said that a lot of agencies in ICAD are 鈥渧ery cooperative鈥� and felt 鈥渞e-energized.鈥�
鈥淜asi ako, madali akong kausap. Pero habang mayroong ine-expect sa akin na trabaho, gagawin ko iyon,鈥� she noted.
(I am easy to talk to. But while there鈥檚 work expected of me, I will do it.)
鈥淕agawin ko iyong lahat na makakaya ko para magawa ko iyong trabaho ko [鈥 Pero iyong experience ko kasi sa ICAD, majority naman ng agencies very cooperative. Ang term nga nila, na-鈥渞eenergize鈥� sila. In fact, ngayon, very productive iyong meeting ko with DDB,鈥� she added.
(I will do everything I can to perform my duty. But from my experience in ICAD, majority of the agencies are very cooperative. They termed it as they鈥檙e 鈥榬e-energized鈥�. In fact, now, my meeting with DDB is very productive.)
The Vice President then revealed that she had sent a letter to the President prior to his hastily called press conference at the Palace on Tuesday night, where he told Malaca帽ang reporters he does not trust Robredo.
She said the letter asked for clarification on her role and the role of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Dir. Gen. Aaron Aquino as ICAD co-chairpersons.
鈥溾�榊ong sa akin lang, mahirap na hindi ka tinitiwalaan, so kahapon sumulat ako sa Pangulo even before the presscon, sinasabi ko na kailangan niyang i-clarify 鈥榶ong mandate,鈥� she explained.
(For me, it鈥檚 hard that you鈥檙e not being trusted, so yesterday I wrote the President even before the presscon, I asked him to clarify the mandate.)
鈥淗indi pwedeng kami 鈥榶ong mag-determine kasi siya 鈥榶ong appointing officer, kailangan siya 鈥榶ong magsabi na ano ba 鈥榶ong mandatong binibigay sa akin, ano ba yong limits, kasi ako naman wala naman akong plano na mag-saklaw ng mandato ng iba, dahil very general 鈥榶ung appointment sa akin,鈥� she added.
(It cannot be that we鈥檒l be the ones to determine because he鈥檚 the appointing officer, he should be the one to say what mandate he鈥檚 giving me, what are the limits, because I do not have any plan to encroach on the mandate of others, because my appointment was very general.)
Duterte appointed Robredo as an ICAD co-chair on October 31, after unleashing his counter-criticisms on the Vice President who again criticized his drug war earlier.
On Tuesday night, Duterte said he can neither trust Robredo nor appoint her to a Cabinet position because of her alleged tendency to talk about matters that would endanger national security.
鈥淭he problem with Robredo is this. Right after she was appointed, she began talking publicly about inviting the Human Rights Commission, she was talking to the United Nations, she would want to talk to the European, and she talks too much,鈥� Duterte pointed out.
鈥淚 cannot appoint her as a Cabinet member. If that is the way her mouth behaves, there can never be a position for her,鈥� he added.