THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday, November 5, welcomed the appointment of Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD).
PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino, who currently heads the committee, said he believed that Robredo can “well contribute” to the campaign particularly in the rehabilitation of drug users who were arrested or surrendered.
“She is a good leader on this matter particularly in rehabilitation matter. Rehabilitation is not properly managed. We have a lot of Bahay Pagasa that are not being used I just hope there would be better approach,” he said.
“Instead of blaming the war on drugs of the President why not the VP help the administration sa campaign sa illegal drugs so I think na by designating her as co-chair this will greatly help. It's nice to see when everybody is working together,” he added.
For his part, PNP spokesperson Brigadier General Bernard Banac assured the Vice President of cooperation from the police.
“The PNP will extend its utmost courtesy, cooperation, and full assistance to the Vice President,” he said in a statement.
President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Robredo as co-chairperson of ICAD until the end of her term on June 30, 2022.
Robredo was appointed as drug czar after she was quoted in a report as criticizing the administration's campaign against illegal drugs. (SunStar Philippines)