MANILA — The decision to release the list of local officials on the so-called “narco-list” is up to President Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said Tuesday.
“We cannot do anything if that list is to be released. That is purely the decision of the President if he will order PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) to do it but on the part of the PNP, we don’t have the authority to divulge those information,” Albayalde told reporters in a press briefing.
PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said they are waiting for the guidance of the President if he will permit his agency to reveal those included on the list.
“We have an adjudication process that is already done and I will just implement this adjudication process wherein those who are on the list for example, narco politicians will be undergoing a certain process and then after validation, a revalidation and workshop of the four validating agencies will be done,” Aquino said in press briefing Monday.
These agencies include PDEA, PNP, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Under the adjudication process, the names who will be delisted from the “narco-list” will be put in a “suspense file”.
The “suspense file” contains the list of those who were removed from the “narco-list” but they can be listed again once found to be engaged anew in illegal drug activities.
He noted that from 93 officials, the number of “narco-politicians” on the list went down to 85, with four of them killed and another four arrested.
“As I have said, it’s now from vice mayor, mayor, some governors, vice governors, congressmen, I think there are no senators,” Aquino said.
The PNP and PDEA have earlier urged the public not to elect candidates who are reportedly involved in illegal drug activities. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
