CAGAYAN de Oro City 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez on Monday, November 25, said kicking out Vice President Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni" Robredo as anti-drug czar is a loss to the administration's campaign against illegal drugs.
Rodriguez said Robredo could have offered a fresh view that might have helped the anti-drug campaign succeed.
"They should also have taken the position of Vice President Leni because she could have been given the Icad fresh view, because they should also see the other side," Rodriguez said.
"I believe her appointment has a good effect to the campaign. Definitely she is a loss to the campaign," he added.
Rodriguez said Robredo's appointment as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (Icad) was "doomed from the start".
He said the firing of Robredo was unfortunate and that her appointment was only an "experiment" of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Kagay-anon lawmaker said as a leader of the opposition, a lawyer and an advocate of human rights, her views would certainly be opposed to the administration's thrusts.
"The President’s All Boys Club was therefore worried to say the least on her entry into the picture. To them her appointment was totally unacceptable. So it’s now business as usual," he said.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Mardy Hortillosa, Police Regional Office-Northern Mindanao (PRO-10) spokesperson, assured that the recent development will not affect their anti-illegal drug campaign.
Hortillosa said they will leave it to the policy makers to craft the strategies on the illegal drugs operations.
"PRO-10 will respect whatever the decision in the higher level authorities and just follow whatever the directives pertains to our mandates in maintaining the peace and order of the region. The regional office will continue to work every day to protect the people and will leave to the policy makers the making of policy and strategy pertaining to anti-illegal drugs operation since our job is to implement whatever mandated to us through laws, policy and guidelines," Hortillosa said.