MANILA (UCAN): Church leaders in the Philippines welcomed the appointment of the country’s vice president, Maria ‘Leni’ Robredo, as head of a government body tasked with addressing the country’s illegal drug problem.
On October 31, Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, named Robredo co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs, which oversees the administration’s campaign against narcotics.
The position gives the vice president, a member of the political opposition and a critic of Duterte’s drug war, oversight over drug enforcement agencies until 30 June 2022.
Despite warnings from supporters that she is being set up to fail, Robredo accepted the appointment, saying she intends to curb drug killings and to hold those behind rights abuses accountable.
“Even if we say that the offer was mere politicking and the government agencies will not follow me, and they will do everything for me not to succeed, I’m ready to bear all of these,” she said, stressing, “If I can save one innocent life, my principles and heart are telling me I should give it a try.”
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, a staunch critic of the government’s deadly drug war, said the vice president’s acceptance of the appointment was “very laudable.”
Human rights groups claim that up to 30,000 suspected drug users and dealers have been killed in the government’s bloody anti-narcotics campaign which began in 2016.
Bishop David said he was “full of apprehension” for Robredo when he heard she had accepted the post.
“I admired her for her bold decision. I admired her even more for her sincerity,” he said.
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Bishop David assured Robredo of the support of Church people in humanely addressing the problem of illegal drugs.
“The Church is a partner of government in every sincere effort to solve the problem of illegal drugs firmly but humanely, to address it at its roots but respect human lives and human rights,” he said.
“We are partners of government if it deals with addiction mainly as a health issue rather than a crime,” the bishop said.
Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Manila, said he supports the Robredo’s decision, saying, “Her purpose for taking on this charge is clear: to save human lives and to make government accountable for its actions.”
Bishop Pabillo expressed support for the vice president’s belief that rehabilitation is the right approach to solving the drug problem.
“The big drug dealers should be relentlessly pursued with the force of the law and not the small users merely killed,” he said, adding, “I wish and pray for the success of this fresh approach to this old problem.”
Father Edwin Gariguez of Caritas Philippines pointed out that a more balanced and humane approach to the drug problem will certainly have the Church’s support.
He said Robredo has the same approach as the Church “because we are against killings.”
“We should have programmes geared towards the rehabilitation of those using illegal drugs. On this aspect, we have a common approach,” he said.
Father Gariguez said Robredo’s decision is “something positive” because a new direction was needed in the drug war. He cautioned her, however, against falling into a trap.
“The downside is this is likely a strategy of the administration to embarrass her, so she should be more prudent,” he said
Speaking on November 11, Robredo said she wanted to broaden the membership of the anti-illegal drugs committee to include private organisations and advocates.
“This is our fight, that’s why we all have to work together,” she said.
She said the success of the anti-narcotics campaign will not be based on the number of those killed “but the number of lives improved.”
“They (the anti-illegal drugs committee) have been doing a lot of meaningful things. We’ll strengthen those. But the things that we see are wrong, especially the killings, we’ll make sure they won’t happen again,” Robredo said.
The vice president is seeking to replicate community-based programmes of non-government and church groups that advocate a “more public health-based” way of solving the narcotics problem.
