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Business Insight
Wednesday, November 6, 2O!9
Set up to tail? 'The position to which Robredo js being designated does not exist.'
Leni: Thanks,
but no thanks
BY WENDELL VIGILIA
STILL doubting the sinceriq. of
thc offer, \Iice President Leni
Robredo does not seem inclined
to accept Ptesideflt Dutette's of-
fer for her to co chair the inter-
agencv bodl that or.ersees the
government's war against iliegal
drugs.
Lau'r'e r Barry Gu ti erre z,
spokesman of Robtedo, said
the \Iice President caflnot enter
rain Dutertet appoinrmeot as of
norr because the position of co
chaitperson of the lnter Agencl
Committee or-r Aod-ILlegal Drugs
(ICAD) does not Jemlll erist.
"Jt's hard to answer," Gutier,
rez toid a press conference *'hen
asked if the \rice Ptesident itill
accept the pr-,sition. "It's a ques-
tion of *'hether is it serious or
is it just theater? As of moment,
rve thinL that it's not even a seri
ous offet."
OVPPHOTO
Guti.errez, a former Akbayan
partl'list congressman, said Ex
ecutir.e C)rder No. 15 creathg rhe
ICAD does not provide for the
position of a co-chairman-
"Look at the iCAD if theret
sucir a position as co-chair, if
d-reret no such position, theo that
is the legal fact," he said. "I-ook
at the EO itself, it seems that the
position to u'hich she (Robredo)
is being designated does nclt e\rell
erist," Gutierrez said.
Takitg a hit at the Palace staff
vho prepared the memorandum
tiat contained Robrerlo's appoint
ment, Glrtierrez said that before
preparing a legal document ap
poioting someone to a position,
"you havc to be sure that every
tl.iog is right."
The forn-rer congressman said
tbe pov'ers and responsibilities of
an ICAD co-ch:rir, if it €:rsts, are
See LENI: TILA.NKS > Paee
\, TrzotDT PAqc,
LENI: THANKS
not even specified in rhe EO.
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and spokesman Salr,-ador panelo,
teacting to Gutierrez' statement, said: "(fhere is) no oeed to amend
EO 15. The President has the continuing authority to reorganize the
bureaucracp Gutierrez is wtong"
He said the Presideot is obviously jusr trf ing to pass *re buck to
the Vice Presidenr afrer he failed to mak. good on hi, 'rroo ,o .,rrnp
out Lhe iJJegal drugs rrade in *uee ro six riondrq..
"We were nor rhe ooe r*ho promised to lix rhis prob)em in six
-mon.ths and now. in iu.r a d.y. rhey expecr us ro do ir-i I rlunk l\lalaca-
iang's focus is wrong," he a)so said.
If the Presidentwas serious, Gutierrez said he should have at least
sat doq'a with Robredo to foimally offer her the posidon,
_ Gutierrez said Robredo is being rargerrd for rJsing cricicisms on
how rhe wa-r on drug. is being waged.
Altray Rep. Edcel Lagman, a member of the opposition, said the
President is obviously sening up Robredo to fail.
*Aco-chairof
the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-lliegal Drugs
_
qC-4D)ll raldy differeot from an anti-drug czar which was p-rer,iouiiy
'offered' by President Duterte to Vice Prisident Leni Robredo. The
diluted- position validates the fear tlat the Vice President is being set
up to fail," Lagman said in a statemenr.
Lagmao said no le"" than Philippine Drug Enforcemenr Agencl.
CD.EA) chjef Aaron Aquino. rhe'cha; of iCAD. has .,omin"ousli.
predicted rhat Robredo would fail.,,
_ He said the Vice President is being thrown into a composite of an
lnter-agencv comminee uith no less than 20 agencies as members
pursuant to EO '15 which created the ICAD on March 6, 2017.
'As co-chair of ICAD, the Vice President, before she could act,
'will have to contend r,r'ith the chair aod the multiple membership
of
ICAQ" Lagman said.
Grrtierrez said t}e Vice President, io her present capaciry will *.rite
the Presideot to make specific recommeodations to heip the admin-
istration "address the failings of rhe current campaign.t,
'lsri she wasn't the one who akeady had three years as presidenr She
wasn't the one who rroq'ed o 6,t everl.thing in six months and despite all that,
she is ahr"als rcady to heip From the surg it has a.h.r,zys been her intentioo.
Shell ptesent to the President specific steps to be ukeq , he said
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