By Raymund Antonio
The release of her findings on the government’s drug war from her short stint as anti-drug czar may have been overtaken by events, but there will still be no stopping her to make it public.
Vice President Leni Robredo
(Charlie Villegas, OVP / MANILA BULLETIN)
Robredo said she will publicly disclose "very soon" the report, which contains information she obtained during her tenure as co-chair of Inter-agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD).
“Sa sunod na lang na araw. Sa sunod na araw. Malapit na din (In the coming days, I will do it instead, In the coming days, it’s already near),” the lady official said.
President Rodrigo Duterte dared Robredo to publicize her supposed drug war discoveries, which she promised to reveal after she was sacked from the anti-drug body on Nov. 24.
“You seem to be threatening that you have information. Release it,” Duterte said last week.
Malacañang earlier cast doubt on Robredo’s findings while she was ICAD co-chair for less than three weeks, questioning why it’s taking her so long to divulge it.
Her reason: the ongoing 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, of which the Philippines is host.
Robredo, who is the chair of the opposition Liberal Party, said she will divulge her findings to the public after the SEA Games events that will end on December 11.
“Pinapatapos ko lang iyong SEA Games. Iyong report, soon. Very soon. Pagkatapos—hintayin lang natin matapos,” the Vice President said.
(I’m just letting the SEA Games to finish. The report will be released soon. Very soon. After-let’s just wait for it to finish.)
The Vice President doesn’t want to engage in a verbal tussle with Duterte over his continuous expletives at her. She just let it passed after the Chief Executive called her an “a-hole” and told her she should not seek the presidency in 2022 because she doesn’t know anything.
According to Robredo, she already submitted two reports to Duterte even before he launched a series of tirades against her.
“So the report for the third week is due. But to ensure our recommendations will be read, we will make it public. It’s better to make it public so for whatever it is worth, it will be considered,” she said on her weekly radio show.
Robredo disputed allegations that she is using her report on the drug war to threaten Duterte and administration officials.
“I don’t know why their reaction is like that, it seemed they are saying I’m threatening them. Why would I do that? I’m only one and they are so many,” she said.