THERE was never any sincere attempt on the part of the Duterte government to address the root causes of the drug menace to begin with. As the seeming trap to humiliate Vice President Leni Robredo blew up catastrophically in the faces of Duterte and his cohorts, they are now desperately trying to backpedal. They not only deprived Robredo of vital information and opportunity to perform her mandate, but now they are twisting her removal from the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs by blaming her. What a circus! It is also notable that all this is happening with the SEA Games fiasco at the backdrop, so this may all be another diversionary tactic to veer the conversation away from the corruption and gross incompetence very much floating on the surface.

We assail the government’s insincerity in addressing the worsening drug menace in the country after President Rodrigo Duterte sacked Vice President Leni Robredo from her post as the co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs.

As the International Human Rights Day nears on Dec. 10, we invite the Vice President to join us in commemorating this event and to stand as one in the defense of human rights. There are still a multitude of platforms to seek accountability, and so we urge her to tread onwards. (By Karapatan Human Rights Group)