- Title: Philippine VP says time for Duterte to halt failed drug war
- Date: 23rd October 2019
- Summary: MANILA, PHILIPPINES (OCTOBER 23, 2019) (REUTERS) PHILIPPINE VICE PRESIDENT MARIA LEONOR 'LENI' ROBREDO SHAKING HANDS WITH JOURNALIST AND SITTING DOWN (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHILIPPINE VICE PRESIDENT, MARIA LEONOR ROBREDO, SAYING: "We have been doing this war for three years already. Number one, I would like to believe that drugs is really a big problem and government should be doing something about it. But the way we are approaching the drug war, three years has shown us it has not been effective. There have been so many deaths already, but the number of drug addicts have risen to unimaginable levels." ROBREDO SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHILIPPINE VICE PRESIDENT, MARIA LEONOR ROBREDO, SAYING: "Why is this still happening? The president has already made very serious threats to drug syndicates, to drug lords, to drug users and yet it's still very prevalent, so obviously, it's not working." ROBREDO SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHILIPPINE VICE PRESIDENT, MARIA LEONOR ROBREDO, SAYING: "We have seen a lot of members of the police who have abused their powers and not been penalized. So this is where the International Criminal Court (ICC) could come in, if we do not show the world that we can take care of our own." ROBREDO SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHILIPPINE VICE PRESIDENT, MARIA LEONOR ROBREDO, SAYING: "I would support it (UN investigation and possible ICC case) because the lives of our people are on the line and the dignity of our country is on the line, but my first call is for our government to take care of the mess that we are in and not to continue with what we have started -- which obviously are not working -- and to take care of all the victims and to penalize all those who have violated our laws." ROBREDO SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHILIPPINE VICE PRESIDENT, MARIA LEONOR ROBREDO, SAYING: "The president's health is always a subject of public interest, but because of the many speculations on the president's health I think it would be beneficial, not just to the public but for the president as well, to be very transparent as far as his health is concerned. Because the danger is the speculation will be worse than what it really is, is there." ROBREDO'S SHADOW / ROBREDO SPEAKING VARIOUS OF ROBREDO DURING INTERVIEW
- Embargoed: 6th November 2019 11:28
- Keywords: Philippines drug war President Rodrigo Duterte Vice President Leni Robredo drugs death
- Location: MANILA, PHILIPPINES
- City: MANILA, PHILIPPINES
- Country: Philippines
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2BFWAV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte should allow the United Nations to investigate his war on drugs, and abandon a deadly campaign that has been a failure and a dent on the country's international image, its vice president said on Wednesday (October 23).
Maria Leonor 'Leni' Robredo, who was elected separately to Duterte and has a frosty relationship with the president, said the thousands of people killed was already too many, with no evidence of a decline in drug supply or usage.
Authorities had rejected activists' allegations that drug dealers and users were being executed and said the more than 7,000 people killed by police had all resisted arrest. Police said they have no connection to the mysterious murders of thousands more drug users.
Robredo, a former human rights lawyer who leads the opposition, is among more than 30 critics of Duterte who are facing possible sedition changes, which she described as baseless and attempts by the president's allies to crush dissent and create a climate of fear and authoritarianism not seen since the era of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
She would not be drawn on whether the legal moves were designed to remove her from the line of succession, amid growing concern about the health of Duterte, 74, who on Tuesday (October 22) cut short a trip to Japan due to "unbearable pain" in his back.
Duterte this month revealed he had a rare neuromuscular disorder, on top of other ailments including Barrett's esophagus, Buerger's disease and frequent migraines.
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