MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte said that he is willing to cede his law enforcement powers to Vice President Leni Robredo for six months so that the latter could try it.
Duterte, in an interview with the media at the Malacañang Palace last night, said that he will be sending a letter to Robredo for this purpose if the latter thinks she can solve the country’s wide-spread drug problem.
But in an ambush interview with the media on Monday, Duterte contradicted himself and said he would “not surrender anything” to Robredo.
“To clarify, I do not surrender anything. I said if she wants, I can commission her to be the drugs czar,” said Duterte.
He added: “Ngayon mas marunong ka naman sa akin, I’ll hand to you full powers sa drugs,” President
Earlier, President Duterte slammed Robredo, saying that the latter talks “nonsense” as he alleged that the vice president lacks knowledge of the law.
“Siya ang magdala. Tignan natin kung ano ang mangyari. Hindi ako makialam. Sige, gusto mo? Mas bright ka? Sige, ikaw. Subukan mo,” the President said.
Under the Constitution, only the President has control and supervision over the police and military. The vice president is the president’s constitutional successor in case of case of the latter’s death, permanent disability, removal from office, or resignation.
Robredo recently branded Duterte’s anti-narcotics campaign as a failure and that the Chief Executive should allow the United Nations to investigate his war on drugs.
But after drawing flak, Robredo clarified in a television interview on Monday that she meant to urge administration leaders to “step back and assess” the narcotics crackdown./PN