Vice President Leni Robredo said that what's missing from President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs is the element of rehabilitation, on Tuesday.
Robredo also gave her full support to the Duterte administration against its war on drugs.
“For me, we need a more holistic solution to drugs rather than be reactive all the time,” Robredo stated in an interview in Bocaue, Bulacan, where she was there for the housing project.
Despite the strong war on drugs of the current administration, Robredo has yet spoken words against the spate of extrajudicial killings happening around the country, but the vice president remains “very supportive” of the government’s anti-drug campaign.
Robredo stressed,“In fact, we were talking about it in the office. What role can we perform to show our support for the President? What we saw that’s missing is rehabilitation; that’s where the gap is.”
She also said that many people had gave up themselves in after finding their names on drug watch lists but there seemed to be no program given by the government.
“If you will remember the story of the 22-year-old who… killed a nurse at St. Luke’s and he did it just after surrendering? So here whether there’s killing or a surrender, what’s the program after?” she said.
The vice president is the head of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council with a Cabinet rank, a post appointed to her by the President after a week he assumes the presidency.
“It seems the execution comes before the program. I think our office will help meet this need,” she said.
Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 says that the government should provide effective mechanisms or measures to reintegrate into society individuals who have fallen victim to drug abuse or dependence through sustainable programs of treatment and rehabilitation.
“It seems that what’s happening now, as a result of the influx of information and the number of surrenderees, is the government does not know what to do,” Robredo added.