Philippines VP calls for revamped drug war to end 'senseless killings'

Philippine Vice-President Leni Robredo talks to her supporters after filing a motion for reconsideration requesting the justices of the Supreme Court to reverse its earlier decision on the ballot shading threshold, at the Supreme Court in Padre Faura, Metro Manila, Philippines April 19, 2018. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

MANILA (Reuters) - The opposition leader put in charge of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs said on Friday it was time to reassess a campaign that was fraught with senseless killings and had failed to curtail a staggering rise in addiction.

Speaking at her first meeting in charge of a task force on narcotics, Vice President Leni Robredo said the strategy should be as much about public health as it was crime and justice, and police operations, known as "Oplan Tokhang", must be conducted lawfully and based on evidence.