THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) needs more time, even weeks, before it can issue a confirmation on whether all the names on the so-called second narcotics list of President Duterte are still actively involved in the illegal-drugs trade.
While the list has been drawn, and included the names of elected officials—from congressmen down to councilors—the government would still need to conduct a thorough revalidation, according to PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino.
Aquino disclosed during a news briefing on Tuesday that 93 officials, among them six congressmen and more than 60 city and municipal mayors, were involved in the operations and proliferation of the illicit drug trade in the country.
In disclosing the list, which also contained the names of governors, vice governors and police and military officials, the PDEA has taken one notch higher the government’s campaign against the illegal-drugs trade.
Pending the results of the revalidation, Aquino did not reveal the names of the officials, a stance that completely differed from the previous position of the agency when it named in April more than 200 barangay officials who were reportedly involved in the drugs trade.
The public revelation of the list drew flak, as some of those named have either been dead or were no longer in public office, suggesting that it did not go through the proper vetting.
In response, the Philippine National Police said it would conduct its own case buildup and file charges against those who were indeed involved in drugs, if not subject them to “Oplan Tokhang”, or even the “Double Barrel”.
According to Aquino, it may take them at least two more weeks to finish the revalidation on Duterte’s second “narco list,” which began three or four months ago, by four government agencies.
Still, even after the revalidation is done, Aquino said he could not release the names of the officials involved, unless Duterte would give the go-ahead.
Late last year the National Police Commission (Napolcom) released its list of local officials who were involved in the operations and proliferation of illegal drugs in the country, and moved to strip them of their control and supervision over the police in their areas.
The list named at least 18 city and municipal mayors, including Cebu Mayor Vicente Loot and one governor. All of the officials named, however, rebutted the Napolcom report, and even challenged the agency to file charges against them.
They claimed that their inclusion in the list and its release to the public has made them targets of the government’s bloody war against illegal drugs.
The Napolcom list was apparently drawn from the list of Duterte.
Months after he was sworn into office, the President had claimed he has a list of government officials allegedly involved in the illegal-drugs trade.
Duterte said he has also a separate list of other individuals who were into drugs, like movie personalities and barangay officials.
Since then, the government has scored a consistent busting of village officials and individuals connected with the film and movie industry in its anti-illegal-drugs operations.
Aquino said the process of revalidation against those named in the second narco list is not that easy, the reason it is taking the government months to do and complete the task.
He said most of the officials named in the list were from Region 4A, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Northern Mindanao.
In the case of barangay officials, the PDEA and even the Department of the Interior and Local Government admitted that the release of the narco list was partly made in order to discourage voters from electing barangay leaders with ties to illegal drugs during the elections in May.
Apparently, this was also the direction of the government in the case of higher public officials, given that the next elections are coming up next year.
When he released the names of the barangay officials in April, Aquino said at the time they have 93 higher officials who were linked to the illegal-drugs trade.
“We have 93 from vice mayor up. Vice mayor, mayor, congressman, governor, vice governor. I have 93 on the narco list,” he said, stressing that the list was officially validated.
Image credits: AP/Bullit Marquez