Personalities in drug list surface at Crame

MANILA, Philippines - Fourteen mayors, five vice mayors, a congressman, four jail guards and six personalities surfaced yesterday at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City after they were named in the list of those involved in the illegal drug trade.

Police officials withheld the names of the officials and civilians that were included in the list of people implicated in drug trafficking that was recently released by President Duterte.

Chief Supt. Roel Obusan, director of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said several agents were assigned to take the statement of 30 personalities and these would be assessed.

PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa admitted that after giving their statements, the officials and other personalities included in the list that Duterte released could go home since there are no formal charges against them yet.

“To tell you frankly hindi natin sila ma (we cannot) pin down kasi (because) drug lords mahirap ma (hard to) pin down. But frankly speaking, hindi man natin sila ma pin down, nag deny sila at least kilala na sila ng taumbayan at nag-promise sila magbago sila (they denied but the public now know them and they promised to change). Sana this will start the change we are longing for,” said Dela Rosa.

Dela Rosa asked why the apparent concern on the shame campaign, saying “ewan ko kung bakit tayo masyadong concern kung nagkakamali. Sana concern tayo sa magandang naitutulong (I don’t know why we are too concerned about mistakes, we should be more concerned about the good results).”

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who was Duterte’s runningmate in the last elections, pointed out the proliferation of illegal drugs is a national security threat and the President has to be unorthodox in fighting it.

Duterte could accuse or name and shame suspected protectors of drug syndicates and not violate their rights, Cayetano said yesterday.

Many of the officials named by Duterte before dawn on Sunday claimed they were denied due process and portrayed as guilty of drug trafficking when no charges have been filed against them.

“There are two parts to this: when you accuse and the part when you face your accuser in the court. There’s nothing in law books that says that accusations cannot be made. Presumption of innocence is in the courts,” Cayetano told reporters.

He said certain quarters were trying to muddle the issue on denial of due process.

He said the present justice system is beset with problems where local officials, law enforcers, prosecutors and even judges are corrupted by illegal drugs.

He said Duterte has been effective in weeding out protectors of drug syndicates in government.

He said Duterte’s campaign was extraordinary and was causing some “discomfort” but was not infringing on human rights.

He pointed out that under normal circumstances, Mayor Rolando Espinosa of Albuera, Leyte would not have surrendered and admitted to his son Kerwin’s involvement in illegal drugs if Duterte did not give them an ultimatum.

“Give us a better option. Now it’s working, drug lords are coming out,” Cayetano said. “The problem is we have three million drug users and 300,000 drug pushers. How do you solve this national security problem? This is working. There is no confiscation of property, no deprivation of liberty or being forced to undergo drug tests.”

He said Duterte does not make accusations without solid basis, as he did with local drug pushers when he was mayor of Davao City.

Security escorts pulled out

Life for eight Maguindanao politicians implicated in drug trafficking became difficult overnight after their police and Army security escorts were pulled out.

Mayors Rasul Sangki of Ampatuan, Montasir Sabal of Talitay, Vicman Montawal of Montawal, Samsudin Dimaukum of Datu Saudi, Norodin Salasal of Salibo, and Vice-Mayors Abdulwahab Sabal of Talitay, Otto Montawal of Montawal, and Anida Dimaukom of Datu Saudi presented themselves on Sunday to Senior Supt. Nikson Muksan, director of the Maguindanao provincial police.

As expected, all of them denied involvement in drug trafficking activities and claimed that their political rivals were behind their inclusion in Malacañang’s list of people allegedly involved in the illegal drugs trade.

Duterte announced the names of the people in the lists, among them local executives in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, both component provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.  

The President also ordered the police and military escorts of the local officials to return to their mother units.

Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. went to Camp Crame, Quezon City yesterday to explain his side to Dela Rosa and clear his name.

Parojinog and his daughter Ozamiz Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog were included in the list of some 160 public officials allegedly involved in drug trafficking.

But prior to his trip to Manila, the mayor witnessed the fun-run dubbed as “Run Away From Drugs” participated in by surrenderees of Oplan Tokhang (knock and plead) that was organized by a private group in coordination with the city government in Ozamiz.

Parojinog said that his daughter Nova had already talked to Dela Rosa last Aug. 4 in Manila.

Nova is the former wife of retired Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) player Edgar Echavez, but she was recently linked to convicted robbery gang leader Herbert Colangco, who is detained at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.

Mayor Parojinog said that Nova clarified to Dela Rosa that she is not married to Colangco.

Parojinog said that they were unduly implicated in the drug trade because of their family’s link to members of the Kuratong Baleleng robbery gang.

Mayor Cipriano Violago of San Rafael, Bulacan presented himself to the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to clear his name as he appealed to his constituents to pray for him so that he could surpass this “trial.”

He added that he is ready to face any investigation and hoped that the President can give him a chance to explain.

Mayor Marjorie Salazar of Lasam, Cagayan presented herself to Senior Supt. Ronaldo Olay, director of the Cagayan police office in Tuguegarao City, on Sunday morning.

Salazar asked the police to escort her to see President Duterte and she also vowed to submit herself for investigation.

Pangasinan First District Rep. Jesus Celeste and his brother Bolinao Mayor Arnold Celeste, who were also included in the list of alleged narco-politicians, surrendered their firearms to the Bolinao police station last Sunday to prove their sincerity and cooperation with Duterte’s anti-illegal drug campaign.    

Celeste turned over his firearms to the police Sunday afternoon. – Cecille Suerte Felipe, Paolo Romero, John Unson, Eva Visperas, Ben Serrano, Jun Elias, Gerry Lee Gorit, Ramon Efren Lazaro, Victor Martin