Poe on ‘narcolist’: Duterte probably knows what he’s doing
Credit to Author: eestopace| Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2019 08:00:38 +0000
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte probably knows what he is doing, Senator Grace Poe said a day after the chief executive exposed the names of politicians allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade.
Poe admitted that she had apprehensions at first on the government’s plan to release the names of personalities allegedly linked to illegal drugs ahead of the election in May.
But in an interview on Friday, the senator said, “Ang Pangulo ay abogado, siguro alam niya ang ginagawa niya (The President is a lawyer. He probably knows what he is doing).”
READ: Duterte exposes 46 ‘narco politicians’
“Basta ang importante ay ito, magfile ng kaso at sagutin nila sa korte (The important thing is they file a case in court),” Poe said. “At least nalabas na yan, eh kung fake naman pala silang ano, edi mapatunayan sa korte ‘diba (It’s good that the list was released. If it’s fake, the courts will prove that, right)?”
Aside from facing charges in court, the personalities included in the “narcolist” may also go directly to the people to belie the allegations hurled against them, according to Poe.
“Kung malakas ang loob nila, magsalita sila sa taumbayan at sabihing hindi totoo yan dahil ito ang pruweba namin na hindi totoo yan,” the senator said.
(If they are courageous enough, they will speak up and prove that the allegations were false by presenting proof.)
Two lawmakers — Leyte 3rd District Rep. Vicente “Ching” Veloso and outgoing Pangasinan 1st District Rep. Jesus Celeste — have already said they may file charges against those responsible for their inclusion on the “narcolist.”
Veloso denied his alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade, saying that his inclusion in the list was a sham and politically motivated by his rivals.
READ: Celeste eyes raps vs those who put him in ‘narcolist,’ Khonghun to consult with lawyer
Another lawmaker, Zambales 1st District Rep. Jeffrey Khonghun, meanwhile, declined to comment on the matter, saying he would first consult with his lawyer.
READ: Veloso slams inclusion in ‘narcolist,’ says it’s politically motivated
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) earlier filed administrative cases against the 46 incumbent politicians included in the “narcolist.” /ee
READ: DILG files administrative cases vs 46 politicians in ‘narcolist’