Joma Sison: Duterte afraid Robredo will learn how he ‘protects’ drug lords

Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison on Sunday claimed that President Rodrigo Duterte fired Vice President Leni Robredo as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) because he is afraid that she will learn about how he protects drug lords.

Duterte fired Robredo from the ICAD a little over two weeks after appointing her to the position. 

“Since the beginning, he has been afraid that she would discover from local officials and US intelligence how he actually protects the biggest drug lords under his mafia syndicate or crime family,” Sison said.

“Duterte was clearly never sincere in appointing VP Leni Robredo as co-chair of the ICAD. Now, Duterte looks like a fool, pasinto-sinto, by firing her after only two weeks,” he added.

In a lengthy statement, the Palace cited a number of reasons behind Duterte’s decision to fire Robredo, including her lack of action on the drug menace and the “transparency of her motive to politicize the issue.”

Robredo earlier said she would not resign as ICAD co-chairperson despite Duterte’s numerous criticisms of her. 

“The people expect Robredo to expose the criminal operations of the Duterte drug empire and denounce how she has received no cooperation from Duterte and ICAD but attacks, disinformation and sabotage of her work as ICAD co-chair,” Sison said. — Julia Mari Ornedo/BM, GMA News