Off to a good start

It was a very refreshing and encouraging sign we got from Vice President Leni Robredo in showing to the Filipino people she has what it takes to be the second highest elected leader of the country. Frankly, this was my first time to hear Vice President Robredo talked this long with media all by herself without her usual coterie of advisers and consultants behind her. She certainly deserves more than applause.

Held last Friday at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in New Manila, Quezon City, Mrs. Robredo presided the first ever meeting with the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs, or ICAD. The Vice President convened the ICAD two days after President Rodrigo Duterte designated her as its co-chairperson.

President Duterte created the ICAD under Executive Order (EO) 15 he issued in March 2017. Originally, the Director General of the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency (PDEA) was the designated chairperson of the ICAD. “The PDEA, as Chairperson of the ICAD, shall have the overall responsibility to ensure that the objectives of the ICAD…” Section 1 of EO 15 stated.

In the press conference after the ICAD meeting, the Vice President’s co-chairperson PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino first publicly apologized for his previous media statement when he questioned the capability of Mrs. Robredo in leading the anti-drug war. At the same time, the PDEA chief apologized to the Vice President for taking the initiative in asking Malacañang to clarify the new set-up at ICAD under EO 15 to prevent any confusion.

As PDEA Director General, Aquino pointed out, he holds an undersecretary rank while the Palace earlier announced that the Vice President will hold a Cabinetranked position as co-chair of ICAD. Aquino though vowed the PDEA’s full support to the Vice President who he even invited to get a first-hand feel in the conduct of anti-drug campaign on the grounds with the law enforcement operatives.

“Let us not go back to what were said in the past. Our goal is moving forward from hereon,” the Vice President replied. “We should look at it (illegal drugs problem) through the lens not just as crimes but we must also look at it from the lens of health and the fact that drug addiction is also a medical and social problem,” she pointed out.

Offhand, the Vice President already mentioned several suggestions of the “fresh perspectives” she has in mind on how the government could better improve the campaign against the drug addiction problem in the country. The Vice President spelled them out during the more than two hours of maiden meeting she had with several fellow Cabinet officials and the respective heads of various government offices and law enforcement agencies of the ICAD.

The Vice President disclosed she was given a fullblown briefing on the status of the anti-drug campaign carried out in the past three and half years. VP Robredo though did not give specific numbers, except saying she asked for more detailed information other than raw statistics on the anti-drug operations. In fact, she revealed, she intends to add her own inputs to the 80 or so measures spelled out under the Philippine Anti-Drug Strategy (PADS).

Thankfully, Mrs. Robredo obviously ignored naysayers and wet blankets among her close advisers and ardent supporters. Good for her. The Vice President demonstrated her independence of mind and willingness to do the right thing.

In the meantime, it would do well for the opposition ranks – OVP official spokesman Barry Gutierrez included – to stop carping at supposed lack of clear cut designation of Mrs. Robredo as co-chair of the ICAD.

As clearly stated in the Malacañang-issued memorandum, “Pursuant to existing laws, rules and regulations,” President Duterte designated the Vice President to co-chair the ICAD “to lead the Government’s efforts against illegal drugs until the end of his administration on 30 June 2022, unless sooner revoked.” Though signed no less by President Duterte on Oct. 31, Malacañang released it only last Nov. 5.

But as early as Oct. 31, Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo already announced in an official statement that the Chief Executive wants the Vice President “to become the anti-illegal drugs czar, with all offices, bureaus, agencies or government instrumentalities involved in the enforcement of the law on prohibited drugs placed under her command and supervision with a cabinet secretary portfolio, to ensure her effectiveness in combatting the drug menace.”

At this stage, it would do well for both pro-administration and opposition ranks, especially those in the 18th Congress, to rally behind the Robredo-led ICAD. With their power of the purse, it is high time for lawmakers of the 18th Congress to put the money where their mouths are, so to speak. While both chambers are currently in the approval process of the proposed 2020 budget bill, the Senators and House members could agree on common institutional amendments to increase a little more the allocations for the anti-drug campaign of each of the 20 member government agencies that compose the ICAD.

The ICAD needs and deserves all the help and support of everyone concerned, especially from the lawmakers who must cross party lines to join forces in the national battle to bring down, if not totally eliminate the drug addiction problem in the Philippines. As the Vice President put it, it is incumbent upon them to try to remove the notoriety of “Tokhang” war on illegal drugs as being directed against the poor.

“Our enemy is the illegal drugs trade, not the people,” the Vice President stressed.

Now that the ICAD has been entrusted by President Duterte under the stewardship of VP Robredo, we can expect all hands on deck to push towards one direction the national campaign against the illegal drugs menace.

With just two and a half years left of this administration, the Vice President is off to a good start of how the anti-drug campaign of the government would henceforth be done under her guidance. Hopefully, the convergence would really result to less policy conflict and less politics that only served to drag the national government efforts in the past.

“Our enemy is the illegal drugs trade, not the people,” the Vice President stressed.