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5 Nov, 2019 07:54

Philippines’ president names top drug war critic as ‘drugs tsar’

Philippines’ president names top drug war critic as ‘drugs tsar’

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has named his main political rival as his “drugs tsar”, after she criticized the high death toll his anti-narcotics campaign has caused. Her camp dismissed the offer as a gimmick, Reuters reported.

His spokesman on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Leni Robredo as co-chair of an inter-agency panel on drugs and ordered all other agencies to give her their full support.

“If she has been criticizing the drug war as ineffective, then there must be ideas on her mind to make it effective,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said.

Robredo advocates tackling drugs from a health and social perspective, including prevention and treatment, rather than a largely police-centered approach.