People in Duterte’s list feel aggrieved

DAVAO CITY — Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has stirred a hornet’s nest here as majority of 500 people he earlier revealed could help him in his anti-illegal drug campaign, felt aggrieved by his disclosure, some of them even threatening to file libel charges against him.

Duterte, in his weekly TV program last Sunday, read the names of 500 individuals whom, he said, "are in the know and could help solve the illegal drug trade in the city."

Nearly 400 of those in Duterte’s list have presented themselves to the mayor’s office and the Regional Anti-Narcotics Unit (RANU) to clear their names of any involvement in the illegal drug trade. A number of them even volunteered to undergo drug tests.

They said they and their families were disgraced and humiliated by the mayor’s disclosure.

Duterte though was careful in tagging those in the list, which the RANU provided him, as drug pushers.

The list included 19 policemen, an Air Force personnel, an Army soldier and a number of government militiamen.

Many in the list are facing illegal drug cases in courts.

But Duterte has shrugged off the libel threats, saying, "Go ahead, let them file and I will file counter-charges against them."

Unperturbed by the reaction, he, in fact, moved up his self-imposed deadline to rid the city of illegal drugs from Dec. 31 to Nov. 30.