“For an official who remains to have a questionable mandate, it is totally appalling that she continues to perpetrate the distorted view in the international community on the real situation in the country.

The inability of the opponents of President Rody Duterte to fulfill their agenda of returning to power was mainly the result of their total disconnect with the dreams and aspirations of Filipinos.

Take Vice President Leni Robredo, for instance. She insists on the yellow line in her international vilification effort on the war on drugs and Rody by extension.

In another interview with foreign news service Reuters, Robredo made her assessment that the war on drugs was a total failure and demanded that it be halted.

She went on and said Rody should allow the United Nations (UN) to investigate the campaign that has been “a dent on the country’s international image.”

It was precisely that obsession with the international image that alienated the former yellow President Noynoy Aquino from the majority of Filipinos.

For instance, in Noynoy’s desire to attain high credit ratings, he chose to restrict spending of public funds resulting in budget surpluses in exchange for opportunity lost in terms of government projects which are prime drivers of growth.

Robredo claimed the “crackdown against narcotics has overwhelmingly targeted the poor rather than big drugs networks.”

Taking the standard line of administration critics, Robredo said Rody’s violent rhetoric aids “a culture of police impunity for which international help should be sought if the government refused to change tack.”

“The President has already made very serious threats to drug syndicates, to drug lords… and yet it’s still very prevalent, so obviously, it’s not working,” Robredo told Reuters.

Then she dropped her bomb, which is expected to be another dud like the others before it, as she made the assertion that a lot of police have abused their powers and have not been penalized, apparently referring to the recent scandal involving the highest police official.

“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 mess,” she indicated.

Reveling in international attention, Robredo had obviously overlooked the sentiment of the Filipino nation on the narcotics plague.

A recent survey showed overwhelming satisfaction with the war on drugs. The quarterly poll of 1,200 Filipinos by Social Weather Stations gave an “excellent” rating for Rody’s signature campaign, with 82 percent indicating satisfaction as a result of a drastic drop in crime and drugs trafficking in their communities.

Almost the same survey grade is given to Rody in terms of public approval.

Robredo apparently joins the small 12 percent who are dissatisfied who believed the drug trade was still flourishing and who claim there were too many killings and police abuses.

For an official who remains to have a questionable mandate, it is totally appalling that she continues to perpetrate the distorted view in the international community on the real situation in the country where drugs threaten to destroy the nation.

Presidential spokesman Sal Panelo gave a valid argument against Rody’s detractors as he said if it’s true that there are human rights violations as alleged against the President, “then the people of this country will rise against this administration.”

Robredo’s appeal for UN and ICC intervention, thus, was meant to insult government institutions since investigations in local courts on the allegations of abuses are proceeding.

The problem, however, is that such investigations always end up with the accusers presenting no proof except for the fiery statements of Rody directed against criminal syndicates and drug traffickers.

Neri Colmenares who is on the same wavelength as Robredo is now trying to peddle the lie that threatening criminals and syndicates is a crime.

What can be considered criminal, Robredo and Colmenares should both know, is undermining a government that has a clear mandate from Filipino voters.