MANILA - Malacañang on Wednesday said a proposal from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to release a list of politicians allegedly involved in illegal drugs will help voters make ‘intelligent choice”.
"As far as the Secretary of DILG is concerned there is a need to provide people with information para magkaroon sila ng (so that they will have an) intelligent choice," Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said in an interview with reporters.
Panelo said President Rodrigo R. Duterte himself has released a list of government officials allegedly involved in illegal drugs before so there is no reason for him to oppose DILG Secretary Eduardo Año's proposal.
He, however, emphasized the need for the responsible release of the narco-list as aggrieved politicians may sue for damages.
"Kailangan yung basis mo sufficient (Your basis needs to be sufficient). Ikaw magre-release, ikaw din babalikan (The ones who will release the list will be the one responsible for it). Ang ayaw niya (Duterte) magrerelease ka na wala namang basis (The President does not want any release without basis)," Panelo explained.
On Feb. 18, DILG Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya reportedly said they are asking permission from the President to release a list of local government officials with alleged drug links ahead of the May 13 mid-term polls.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said the list currently includes 83 politicians.
The campaign period for senatorial candidates and party-list groups started on Feb. 12 while that for the local post aspirants will kick off on March 30. (PNA)
