Vice President and opposition leader Leni Robredo is against the proposal of President Duterte to arm anti-crime volunteers to help the police enforce the law, saying that it opens opportunities for abuse.
Speaking on her Sunday radio show, Robredo stressed that there are better solutions to the problems of enforcing the law in the country, adding that history shows that fear has never been effective in disciplining the people.
“Masyadong delikado. Kasi parang iyong espasyo sa pang-aabuso ang laki, iyong risk ng pang-aabuso ang laki. So, iyong mga bagay na ganito hindi ‘yan basta-basta (It is too risky. Because there is a big chance for abuse, the risk for abuse is too big. So, these things shouldn’t be taken lightly,” she said over dzXL.
The vice president emphasized people shouldn’t be treated as “subjects” who simply need to follow orders.
“Kapag hindi kayo sumunod ikukulong kayo o ‘pag hindi kayo sumunod pwedeng may harm na mangyayari sa inyo. Parang lagi tayong nagkocooperate sa takot. Sa akin, hindi rin effective (If you don’t follow, I will imprison you or if you don’t follow, you may get harmed. It’s like we’re just cooperating out of fear. For me, it is not effective),” she added.
The lady official was reacting to Duterte’s speech on Friday, June 25, wherein he said that he was open to issuing firearms to members and volunteers of the Global Coalition of Lingkod Bayan Advocacy Support Groups and Force Multipliers.
READ: 'The criminal must die, you must live': Duterte backs arming of anti-crime volunteers
The newly formed coalition will include volunteer barangay watchmen, environmentalists, representatives from women and LGBT groups, riders and motorists, and the religious sector.
The Chief Executive has been known to threaten people with the use of guns and sending them to jail. Just last week, he warned anti-vaxxers that he will imprison them if they don’t get their COVID-19 jabs.
But for Robredo, problems can be resolved without threats.
“Ang daming problemang mareresolve na hindi naman kailangan ng armas. Matuto tayo sa mga aral from the past (A lot of problems can be resolved without using arms. Let us learn from the lessons of the past),” she said.
The vice president is an advocate of preventive measures to solve societal problems. She said that solutions don’t need to be “punitive.”
READ: Robredo: Gov’t, sectors have shared responsibility on governance
“Kapag iyong tao sinasama mo mula sa umpisa mas nagiging responsable sila, mas nagkocooperate, mas nagkakaroon sila ng ownership dun sa problema (When you allow people to participate from the start, they become more responsible, they cooperate, they develop ownership of the problem),” she explained.
“Gusto kong sabihin iyong tao hindi ‘yan beneficiary ng government projects, pero iyong tao dapat partner sila (What I’m trying to say is the people are not mere beneficiaries of government projects, but they are partners),” Robredo added.
The vice president has long been a proponent of participatory governance, where even people from the grassroots can contribute to politics, economy, and society.
“Iyon involvement ng tao (The involvement of the people) should be every step of the way,” Robredo said.