Local execs want role in vetting narco list

MANILA, Philippines — Local executives are worried about their safety following the successive assassinations of two mayors and have asked authorities to allow them to vet the list of officials with alleged ties to the narcotics trade, Malacañang said yesterday.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the concerns were raised during the meeting of Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) chairman and Isabela Vice Gov. Antonio Albano and security officials Thursday. 

“ULAP expressed alarm and concern about the killing of local officials. They also expressed concern about the vetting process of narco lists and what process can be tapped to remove the names of personalities who were included in the list even if the claims against them are baseless,” Roque said at a Palace press briefing.

Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge Eduardo Año and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde have promised to look into these issues, he added.

He also said authorities are developing a central database and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) would take the lead for narco-personalities.

“Local officials want to have a participation in the vetting of narco lists. They also know who are involved in their area... No commitment was given but of course this is being considered by both the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) and the PNP,” Roque pointed out.

The opposition has criticized the killing of Tanauan City mayor Antonio Halili, known for parading suspected drug pushers, last Monday and General Tinio town mayor Ferdinand Bote the following day, branding these as examples of a “culture of impunity” under the Duterte administration.

Officials have denied this and blamed the killings on efforts to “erode confidence in the President.” 

“Investigate and arrest the killers. That’s the clear instruction of the President. And to the credit of General Albayalde, he moved swiftly to address the killings,” the presidential spokesman said. 

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevara said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been tapped to find out if the killings are part of a grand plot to destabilize the Duterte administration.

Promising that no stone will be left unturned, he said the bureau would also look into other possibilities, including the illegal drug trade and the communist threat to oust Duterte.

Año said there is no pattern in the two killings and assured mayors belonging to the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) that there is no cause for concern.

“Each case has its own facts. They are not at all related. In fact, only a small portion are definitely drug-related,” he told the group yesterday, promising to provide additional security when needed.?The LMP is seeking a dialogue with President Duterte over the back-to-back killings.

Roque said the government has a clear policy against illegal activities and that it will not tolerate senseless killings. – With Edu Punay, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Christina Mendez