File charges against those in the narco list, PDEA told

If you have the goods on them, file appropriate charges.

This is the advice of two lawmakers on what the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) should do with lawmakers and other public officials reportedly on the Duterte administration’s narco list.

"PDEA should also better bring the matter to proper legal forum. Filing a formal complaint against the concerned lawmakers is the most appropriate thing to do instead of just making publicity,” Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, chairman of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development said.

“I call on the PDEA chief (Director General Aaron Aquino) to exercise caution. Everyone has

the rightto be presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Castelo added.

By filing a complaint, PDEA is giving the concerned public officials an opportunity to clear their name and personally shed light on the issue.

“This would help properly address the problem and give the concerned lawmakers the opportunity to respond,” Castelo said.

Due process Akbayan party-list Rep. Tom Villarin, a member of the House Independent Bloc agreed with Castelo.

"Regardless of status in life, people should be accordeddue process and the rule of law which have been continuously violatedin President Duterte’s deadly war on drugs that claimed thousands oflives and families traumatized,” he said.

He expressed concern that those who have been vocal against the administration's war on drugs would be linked to drug lords and syndicates.

“Again as we will expect, people speaking up to criticize thegovernment’s drug war will be lumped together with drug lords and personalities,” Villarin said.

The identities of those on the narco-list have yet to be revealed by PDEA as it awaits the President’s go signal.

Prior to the Barangay election, the agency released the names of village chiefs involved in illegal drugs. The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) filed charges against five village chiefs from Manila.

6,000 plus Aquino said the updated narco-list collated by four government agencies has swelled two folds from the 3,000 in 2016 to more than 6,000 that reportedly includes uniformed men, media personalities, government workers and elected government officials.

The four agencies, Aquino said has “cross-checked and re-validate each name” on the narco list. The figure reportedly increased because of the revalidation.

The magnitude of the drug problem has prompted the PDEA chief to recommend the re-imposition of the death penalty for illegal drug offenses to discourage foreign narco-personalities from operating in the country.

He said he did not know the depth and extent of the country’s drug problem until he was assigned by the President to PDEA.

Acquitted

Meanwhile, actress Krista Miller and a co-accused were acquitted by a Valenzuela City court of drug charges for lack of evidence.

Regional Trial Court Branch 238 Presiding Judge Snooky Maria Ana Bareno-Sagayo in a May 22 resolution ruled that there was not enough evidence to convict Miller (Krystalyn Engle in real life) and her co-accused Aaron Medina of drug charges.

The two walked free three days later.

Miller and Medina were arrested in a buy-bust operation in September 2016 and were charged for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. (With a report from Kate Javier)