Senators to DILG: File charges vs candidates in narco list

Senators on Thursday said the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) should file criminal charges against candidates in the upcoming May 2019 midterm elections who are reportedly included in the so-called drug list.

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero made the call in response to the DILG’s appeal to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to disqualify candidates in next year’s election who are included in the drug list released by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

“Under the law, only persons convicted by final judgment of a crime carrying the penalty of absolute perpetual disqualification to hold public office can be disqualified to run for public office,” Escudero said.

“Their drug list was merely ‘validated’ by them and their intelligence agencies and not by a court of law,” he pointed out.

The senator said that while the DILG, means well in order to limit narco-politicians from joining the May 2019 polls, those in the list that has never been made public, were never afforded the right to due process and question their inclusion in the list.

“Hence, (it) cannot be used against them by the DILG’s mere say so,” he said.

“What the DILG should have done was to number one, file cases against them, and second, preventively suspend them; and three, secure a warrant of arrest and put them in jail in order to perhaps minimize their chances of winning and achieve the same ends that they seek legally and in accordance with law,” Escudero stressed.

Opposition Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party, echoed Escudero’s call.

“Magsampa sila ng kaso, kasi ang karapatan ng bawat mamamayan ay ihain ang kanyang kandidatura ay di dapat pinagbabawal. Dapat i-uphold yun (They should file cases, because running for an elective position is the right of every person and it should not be prohibited. They should uphold it),” Pangilinan said.

“The right of every citizen to be a candidate, unless there’ s conviction with final judgment, that would be of legality,” he said.

Pangilinan said that in the end, the people should be given the leeway to choose whom they want to vote as their leaders.

“Kasi pwedeng gamitin pangaabuso ‘yan eh. Di ba gagawa ng kung ano anong mga charges, mag sasampa ng kaso tapos sasabihin disqualified (Because that can be abused. They will come up with fictitious charges, file cases, then say he or she is disqualified),” he pointed out.

He said the government’s course of action should be to focus on issues and not to make up issues against a candidate and disqualify them from the elections.

“Kung may mga kaso laban sa kanila, i-presenta sa publiko para publiko mismo ang magpapasya kung sino ang dapat at hindi dapat maupo (If they have any cases against them, they should present it to the public so the public themselves will decide whom they should and should not vote),” said Pangilinan.

Asked if he knew of any LP member who is part of the narco-list, Pangilinan said he doesn’t know.

Pimentel, meanwhile, assured that the ruling Partido Demokratiko ng Pilipinas-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) would not include narcopoliticians in their bets for the 2019 elections.

He said the party will review its membership to verify claims should its members' be involved in the drug trade. He noted that the narco list may be used especially in the elections, "because this is politics." (With a report from Vanne F. Terrazola)