Winning narco pols not yet off the hook — PNP

MANILA, Philippines — The success in the polls of narco politicians does not mean the government’s case buildup against them will stop, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said yesterday.

Albayalde noted that 27 out of 37 politicians included in the narco list have won even if President Duterte named them in public.

Albayalde said among the winners are one governor and several mayors.

“We are in close coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), especially in gathering evidence against narco politicians,” Albayalde said.

The success of several politicians included in Duterte’s narco list in the midterm elections shows the lack of maturity of some voters, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said.

“Voters in far-flung areas are not mature yet,” Año told reporters in Filipino in an ambush interview at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Año vowed to hold the newly elected officials accountable if they are proven guilty.

“It is now my job to ensure that these government officials will do their jobs in accordance with the mandate of the Local Government Code,” he said.

Meanwhile, Albayalde denounced a show on Netflix, which poked fun at the government’s war on illegal drugs.

Sen. Richard Gordon said an extensive investigation should be conducted by different agencies such as the Commission on Elections, the Anti-Money Laundering Council, Bureau of Internal Revenue, National Bureau of Investigation and the PNP “since there were massive, flagrant and scandalous vote buying in areas” where the alleged narco politicians won.

“While vote buying may have become commonplace to some people, the inordinate, flagrant and scandalous vote buying in areas where the narco politicians won must be investigated,” Gordon said in a statement.  – With Paolo Romero