MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday, February 2, expressed her misgivings about President Rodrigo Duterte’s proposal to revive the Philippine Constabulary (PC) to lead his war on drugs.

“Let us not hurry in making decisions on who would implement [the anti-drugs campaign] now that the PNP (Philippine National Police) is stripped of the obligation,” Robredo said in Filipino in an interview with GMA’s News To Go.

“Why was the PC abolished? It’s because many of them have been very abusive,” she added. (READ: LOOKBACK: The Philippine Constabulary under Marcos)

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella earlier announced that Duterte was thinking of reviving the PC to handle the nationwide campaign against illegal narcotics after he ordered the cleansing of the PNP.

The President’s directive came as police officers under the Anti-Illegal Drug Group (AIDG) were tagged in the slay of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo. The AIDG has been dissolved since. (READ: Dela Rosa orders PNP: Stop war on drugs) 

For Robredo, the drug problem would not be solved by simply shifting the leadership of the government’s campaign against illegal drugs. She said that 6 months since the drug war started, drug laboratories were still being raided.

“Even [after] all those killings, that is not the deterrent. The illegal drug trade still continues,” she said.

The Vice President said now would be the best time to review the campaign.

“Maybe now that 6 months after and nothing’s happening, we have to rethink what we are doing. Are we doing [something] wrong?” she asked.

She also said it would be good to study the models of other countries that have succeeded in the fight against illegal drugs without resorting to violence.

As of January 31, 7,080 people have been killed in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. – Rappler.com