Robredo's report a ‘complete travesty’ of drug war: Andanar
MANILA — Presidential Communications Operations
Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin
Andanar on Tuesday expressed dismay over
Vice President Leni Robredo’s claim that President Rodrigo Duterte’s
anti-narcotics campaign is a “massive” failure.
Andanar strongly opposed Robredo’s allegation and merely branded it as “complete travesty” of the government’s crackdown on illegal drugs.
“We are deeply disappointed with how Vice President Leni Robredo views the progress that the Duterte administration’s campaign on illegal drugs campaign has brought to the Philippines so far,” the PCOO chief said in a statement issued late Tuesday night.
“It is a complete travesty which discounts the works and efforts of our law enforcement agencies and other relevant agencies in their collective fight against illegal drugs,” he added.
Robredo, who served as co-chairperson of Inter-Agency Committee on Illegal Drugs (ICAD) for 18 days, claimed Monday that the Duterte administration’s three-year drug war only seized less than one percent of the total shabu supply in the country.
Citing police data, Robredo said the approximate consumption of shabu in the country is 3,000 kilos weekly or about 156,000 kilos a year.
She also noted that only PHP1.4 billion worth of illegal drugs has been apprehended, despite the fact that around PHP1.3 trillion worth of shabu circulates nationwide.
Disputing Robredo’s report, Andanar said that from July 1, 2016 to Nov. 31, 3019, the anti-narcotics drive waged by Duterte has so far cleared 16,706 drug-affected villages nationwide.
He said the drug war has also led to the seizure of around PHP40.39 billion worth of illegal drugs and dismantling of around 433 drug dens and clandestine laboratories.
He added that around 8,185 high-value targets have already been arrested, while some 485,295 drug personalities who turned in themselves to authorities have joined the government’s reformation program.
Andanar said Robredo apparently made a “haphazard compilation” of information about the fight against illegal drugs.
“We are unsure of the basis of her judgments, whether it’s through a haphazard compilation of easily available facts and statistics that she accessed during her 18-day stint as ICAD co-chair, or her vested political attacks to criticize this administration,” he said.
“But she has constantly denied any accomplishments made by this administration in its campaign against illegal drugs and has ignored even hard facts contrary to her agenda,” Andanar added.
Robredo was appointed by Duterte as ICAD co-chair on Oct. 31, 2019, as co-chair of ICAD, after the former claimed that the administration's drug war is "obviously not working."
After 18 days, Duterte fired Robredo as a drug czar for her supposed incompetence due to her failure to present new measures in addressing the drug problem in the country.
On Tuesday, the President branded Robredo as “colossal blunder” after the latter maintained that the drug war is a failure.
Andanar said Robredo should also realize that the anti-drug war resulted in a significant decrease in the nationwide index crime incidents from 11,860 in July 2016 to 5,000 in July 2019.
He stressed that the decline in criminal cases has led to the improved satisfaction rating of the administration’s campaign against narcotics trade (82 percent), as well as of the President (87 percent), based on the Social Weather Stations' separate surveys conducted in September and December 2019, respectively.
Andanar, however, also admitted that while the government is making significant strides, much more still needs to be done to totally curb the drug proliferation nationwide.
He said Robredo’s remarks would not affect the relentless campaign against illegal drugs.
“It’s true that this campaign continues to face challenges such as the increasing magnitude of drug trade regionally and globally. But given the abovementioned facts, one cannot call the campaign a failure,” he said.
“Despite VP Robredo's vitriolic pronouncements on the administration's anti-illegal drugs campaign, we will not be discouraged from fulfilling President Duterte’s vision and legacy. We will continue to perform our duties to realize a drug-free Philippines for all Filipinos,” Andanar added. (PNA)
Andanar strongly opposed Robredo’s allegation and merely branded it as “complete travesty” of the government’s crackdown on illegal drugs.
“We are deeply disappointed with how Vice President Leni Robredo views the progress that the Duterte administration’s campaign on illegal drugs campaign has brought to the Philippines so far,” the PCOO chief said in a statement issued late Tuesday night.
“It is a complete travesty which discounts the works and efforts of our law enforcement agencies and other relevant agencies in their collective fight against illegal drugs,” he added.
Robredo, who served as co-chairperson of Inter-Agency Committee on Illegal Drugs (ICAD) for 18 days, claimed Monday that the Duterte administration’s three-year drug war only seized less than one percent of the total shabu supply in the country.
Citing police data, Robredo said the approximate consumption of shabu in the country is 3,000 kilos weekly or about 156,000 kilos a year.
She also noted that only PHP1.4 billion worth of illegal drugs has been apprehended, despite the fact that around PHP1.3 trillion worth of shabu circulates nationwide.
Disputing Robredo’s report, Andanar said that from July 1, 2016 to Nov. 31, 3019, the anti-narcotics drive waged by Duterte has so far cleared 16,706 drug-affected villages nationwide.
He said the drug war has also led to the seizure of around PHP40.39 billion worth of illegal drugs and dismantling of around 433 drug dens and clandestine laboratories.
He added that around 8,185 high-value targets have already been arrested, while some 485,295 drug personalities who turned in themselves to authorities have joined the government’s reformation program.
Andanar said Robredo apparently made a “haphazard compilation” of information about the fight against illegal drugs.
“We are unsure of the basis of her judgments, whether it’s through a haphazard compilation of easily available facts and statistics that she accessed during her 18-day stint as ICAD co-chair, or her vested political attacks to criticize this administration,” he said.
“But she has constantly denied any accomplishments made by this administration in its campaign against illegal drugs and has ignored even hard facts contrary to her agenda,” Andanar added.
Robredo was appointed by Duterte as ICAD co-chair on Oct. 31, 2019, as co-chair of ICAD, after the former claimed that the administration's drug war is "obviously not working."
After 18 days, Duterte fired Robredo as a drug czar for her supposed incompetence due to her failure to present new measures in addressing the drug problem in the country.
On Tuesday, the President branded Robredo as “colossal blunder” after the latter maintained that the drug war is a failure.
Andanar said Robredo should also realize that the anti-drug war resulted in a significant decrease in the nationwide index crime incidents from 11,860 in July 2016 to 5,000 in July 2019.
He stressed that the decline in criminal cases has led to the improved satisfaction rating of the administration’s campaign against narcotics trade (82 percent), as well as of the President (87 percent), based on the Social Weather Stations' separate surveys conducted in September and December 2019, respectively.
Andanar, however, also admitted that while the government is making significant strides, much more still needs to be done to totally curb the drug proliferation nationwide.
He said Robredo’s remarks would not affect the relentless campaign against illegal drugs.
“It’s true that this campaign continues to face challenges such as the increasing magnitude of drug trade regionally and globally. But given the abovementioned facts, one cannot call the campaign a failure,” he said.
“Despite VP Robredo's vitriolic pronouncements on the administration's anti-illegal drugs campaign, we will not be discouraged from fulfilling President Duterte’s vision and legacy. We will continue to perform our duties to realize a drug-free Philippines for all Filipinos,” Andanar added. (PNA)
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