MORE senators weighed in on Monday against the plan of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to release a list of politicians with alleged drug links in advance of the March 29 campaign period for local positions.
The Duterte administration was instead told to file appropriate charges against aspiring candidates linked to illegal drug syndicates if it has enough evidence against them, rather than, as Sen. Richard Gordon had put it, “accusing them [of a serious crime] without due process.”
Those who lent their voices on Monday to the counsel of caution—earlier aired by Gordon, Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon and Sen. Panfilo Lacson—were Senators Koko Pimentel III, Sherwin Gatchalian and Minority Leader Franklin Drilon.
Citing reports quoting Comelec Commissioner Guanzon indicating the poll body may just ignore the “narco list” and allow the politicians on that list to run, Pimentel sided with the poll body.
Comelec cannot prevent those on the narco list from running in the May 2019 elections because being on a list, even a narco list, is not a recognized legal ground for disqualifying candidates, since they are all presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Pimentel pointed out.
The senator suggested that once authorities are in possession of evidence linking aspiring candidates to drug syndicates, charges should promptly be filed in court.
“If the government has included them in a list because government is convinced, by evidence, of their involvement in the narco trade, then it is the government’s duty now to file charges against them, using the evidence which made them land in the said list,” Pimentel added.
The former Senate President shared earlier concerns aired by fellow senators Gordon and Lacson at the weekend over the DILG’s tack in fighting the drug menace.
Gordon warned that the administration was opening itself up to libel cases if it simply names the politicians because then it is making an accusation without due process, by filing appropriate charges so they can respond accordingly.
Lacson, a former National Police chief, for his part said the only basis of the DILG list would be intelligence reports, and by practice, such intelligence reports should be shared only among relevant agencies, not made the basis of a shame list that dubiously comes during the campaign period, needlessly tarring poll aspirants.
On Monday, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian goaded the government to start filing cases in court to signal to voters its resolve to prosecute so-called narco-politicians.
“The DILG should file appropriate charges to bar narco politicians from joining the up and coming elections,” said Gatchalian.
He added that “shaming them can only do so much.”
The senator noted that these narco-politicians “have the money and local relationships that will ensure their victory. The best strategy is to remove them legally through the proper courts.”
This developed as Senate Minority Leader Drilon warned that the DILG “exposes itself to an administrative complaint for abuse of authority, libel and damages for the release of such list.”
The senator suggested that the DILG should instead file cases against these candidates it alleges to be involved in the drug trade.