8,000 barangay chiefs, cops on narco list

MANILA, Philippines – About 8,000 names of government officials, including barangay captains, allegedly involved in illegal drugs are contained in the third narco list to be released soon by President Duterte.

“The portals of government have been opened to drug people,” Duterte told Army troopers at Fort Bonifacio yesterday.

He said the sheer number of state workers believed to have links to illegal drugs proved that narco-politics had penetrated the government.

“All of those in my list – there are about 8,000 drug pushers and manufacturers who are barangay captains, add that to the police. There are a lot of policemen. My God, I’m very sorry, there are a lot of policemen,” he added.

Duterte said the narco-politics problem was the main reason why he favored the postponement of this month’s barangay elections.

“Narco-politics is here already. That’s the reason why I told the Speaker and the Senate President, do not call for an election in the barangay now. It will be a disaster,” the Chief Executive said.

Duterte said local officials with drug links were practically untouchable before he assumed office.

“If you call an election, the winners will be the ones with money,” the President said.

“That’s why my first step then was to order all military and police personnel assigned to politicians to go home within 24 hours,” he added.

The President has shamed more than 160 former and incumbent local executives, lawmakers, uniformed personnel and judges with alleged ties to drug rings.

Postponement

The bill postponing this month’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections has been formally transmitted to Malacañang and is now awaiting Duterte’s signature.

The bill, which reschedules the elections from Oct. 31 this year to Oct. 23, 2017, was sent to the Office of the President last Monday, The STAR learned yesterday.

A check at the Senate’s website confirmed that the enrolled copies of the bill were forwarded to Duterte’s office last Oct. 3. Under the Constitution, the President has 30 days to sign a bill or allow it to lapse into law or exercise his power to veto.

Without an enabling law, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials would face possible sanctions if the barangay and SK elections were not held on Oct. 31.

He issued the warning as the proposed measure postponing the barangay and SK polls was not yet signed into law by the President.

He said the Comelec could not suspend the preparations due to a proposed law.

“If the elections will not be held on Oct. 31 despite the non-passage of the law postponing the polls, they (Comelec officials) should be held responsible,” Macalintal said.

“Comelec officials could be liable for impeachment for culpable violation of the Constitution for not implementing the existing law on barangay and SK polls,” Macalintal pointed out.

According to Macalintal, Republic Act No. 9340 provides that the barangay and SK polls shall be held “on the last Monday of October 2007 and every three years thereafter.”

The Comelec earlier passed a resolution suspending all activities in connection with the Oct. 31 polls as it was expecting the passage of law postponing the scheduled polls.

To avoid any liability, Macalintal urged the Comelec to resume preparations for the barangay and SK polls.

The Comelec is allowed to conduct the barangay and SK polls until Nov. 30 since it is authorized to adjust the period of activities due to unavoidable circumstances, Macalintal said.

The Omnibus Election Code allows the Comelec to postpone the elections to a date not later than 30 days when situations make it impossible to hold “a free, orderly and honest election.”

Macalintal also asked the Comelec to enforce the firearms ban and prohibition on transfer or appointment of new employees in the government from Oct. 1 to Nov. 7 as part of the conduct of the barangay and SK elections. – Mayen Jaymalin