10,000 names in foot-high narco file

MANILA, Philippines – President Duter-te’s “validated” list of alleged drug personalities contains up to 10,000 names of government officials, chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo revealed yesterday.

Panelo said he had seen the list, which he estimated to be more than a foot high and containing around 5,000 to 10,000 names of public officials from barangay personnel, mayors, governors, members of the judiciary and prosecutors.

“There are about 10,000 people, government officials involved. That means that the magnitude and depth of the drug menace is so much, so huge, that public safety is now in danger,” Panelo told ANC.

Duterte on Saturday said he would submit his final list of drug personalities to the National Security Council (NSC) and Congress before the end of the month.

“Maybe before the end of the month, I will submit that report to the National Security Council and the Senate President and the Speaker of the House (of Representatives) then let us formulate how to prevent disaster for the next generation,” Duterte told the gathering of the San Beda Law Grand Alumni Homecoming in Taguig City.

Duterte stressed he is only fulfilling his campaign promise to rid the country of illegal drugs, criminality and corruption. He said that of the three, the problem on drugs would stand out as the biggest challenge to his government.

“I will suppress drugs until the last pusher is out of the streets… it (campaign) will last until the last day of my term. And I said criminality – it has stymied our economic, social and political life. It should also stop… I will draw a plan to realize my objectives,” Duterte said.

Panelo, on the other hand, said the President might suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus as the next possible step after submitting the narco-list to the NSC and Congress.

Panelo explained the President can only suspend the writ in cases of rebellion or invasion but he argued that similar circumstances, such as the national scourge of drugs, could be considered in declaring a suspension.

Habeas corpus is a writ ordering a person in custody to be brought before a court, and places the burden of proof on those detaining the person to justify the detention.

“Some are arguing that there is no invasion and neither is there rebellion but he (Duterte) is saying that drug money is being used to fund the rebellion in Mindanao therefore there is a rebellion,” Panelo said.