DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines — Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar yesterday called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to release their list of candidates involved in illegal drugs to guide voters in the May 14 elections.
Andanar stressed the government owes it to the public to give them the right information about the leaders they are about to elect.
He stressed the barangay is the basic unit of government in the country where issues and concerns arise first.
“If you are able to address in barangay level, the problem is finished,” Andanar said.
He advised voters to ensure that they are electing officials who are free of drugs.
“At the end, the power rests on the voters but it is also the responsibility of government officials to release documents or information that the people need so that they may be guided on who to vote for this coming barangay elections,” Andanar told the media in a news conference here.
The head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Aaron Aquino said he is in favor of releasing the list of 289 barangay executives suspected of involvement in the illegal drug trade.
But Aquino said President Duterte has yet to issue an order to authorize him to release the list.
The PDEA said a total of 274 barangay officials are listed in their National Drug Information System.
Aquino urged the electorate to choose their barangay leaders wisely and refrain from electing leaders tainted with illegal drugs, criminality or corruption.
Acting DILG chief Eduardo Año supported the proposal to release the names of officials linked to the drug trade.
However, incoming PNP chief Director Oscar Albayalde warned authorities should be “very careful” as barangay officials are still entitled to due process.
Albayalde suggested the list be kept within the DILG so that it could be thoroughly examined and validated.?Meanwhile, the military in Negros appealed to the public not to vote for candidates with links to communist rebels.
Brig. Gen. Eliezer Losanes, commander of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade, claimed some residents already know the candidates linked with the rebels.
Ninety-three of the 1,227 barangays in Negros island have been classified by the military as rebel-influenced areas.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the number of certificates of candidacy (COC) filed for the coming May 14 elections has reached over 600,000.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said that as of April 18, the poll body has received a total of 643,363 COCs. Most of the candidates are males. – With Romina Cabrera, Mayen Jaymalin, Gilbert Bayoran