Robredo to gov’t: Stop drug war

President Duterte should allow the United Nations to investigate his war on drugs, and abandon a deadly campaign that has been a failure, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Wednesday.

“The President has already made very serious threats to drug syndicates, to drug lords ... and yet it’s still very prevalent, so obviously, it’s not working,” Robredo said in an interview.

Malacañang however dismissed Robredo’s remarks as “unquestionably bereft of factual basis and devoid of recognition of the successes that the war on illegal drugs has reaped.”

‘Black propaganda’

According to presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo, Robredo was merely “echoing the lies and black propaganda of some of her colleagues in the political opposition.”

Citing government data, Panelo said more than a million drug personalities have surrendered since 2016, close to half a million have undergone rehabilitation programs, and more than P35 billion worth of illegal drugs, chemicals and equipment seized.

The crackdown on drugs has overwhelmingly targeted the poor rather than big drug networks, Robredo said, adding that Mr. Duterte’s violent rhetoric was aiding a culture of police impunity for which international help should be sought if the government refuses to change tack.

UN resolution

“We have seen a lot of police [who] have abused their powers and not been penalized so this is where the International Criminal Court (ICC) could come in, if we do not show the world that we can take care of our own mess,” the Vice President said.

Last year, Mr. Duterte withdrew the Philippines’ membership to the ICC after it launched a preliminary investigation into his alleged crimes against humanity. He also expressed outrage at a resolution in July by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate the bloodshed.

Robredo, 54, is among the more than 30 critics of Mr. Duterte who are facing possible sedition charges, which she described as baseless and attempts by the President’s allies to crush dissent and create a climate of fear and authoritarianism.