MANILA -- The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is set to reveal this week the names of 211 barangay (village) officials included in President Rodrigo Duterte's narco-list.
PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino on Wednesday confirmed Malacanang has given him the go-signal to reveal the names of barangay officials included in the list.
“I am now finalizing the list and within the week, I will call for another press conference, and I will issue and publish finally these barangay kagawads and barangay chairmen,” Aquino told reporters during the launching of Balay Silangan.
Aquino revealed that those included in the list are 89 barangay chairmen and 122 barangay kagawads.
The PDEA chief said the list originally contains 216 names but five barangay captains were taken off the list as they will be subject to further validation.
Aquino said that he will seek guidance from Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) officer-in-charge Secretary Eduardo Año on the publication of the names included in the list.
“I am assuring everyone that this is a validated list. This list came from Malacanang and came from all intelligence units from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the NICA (National Intelligence Coordinating Agency), the Philippine National Police and the PDEA. This is a validated list,” he stressed.
“As of this, adjudication process is ongoing (that is why cannot a file a case). Yesterday (Tuesday), the adjudication process finished which will be brought to the Malacanang for the approval of the President. We are trying to build-up the case and file the necessary charges,” Aquino added.
Asked how they validated the information on the narco-list of barangay officials, Aquino answered: “we know that they are validated information and that these people are involved but we still need to sit down and further strengthen the case against them.”
He noted that the agency is also validating the alleged involvement of 93 local officials in illegal drugs.
Aquino earlier urged the public not to vote for candidates who are involved in illegal drugs in this year's Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. (PNA)
