Marcos not in narco-list – Bato

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa confirmed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was never included in any narco-list when he was chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), contradicting the allegation made by former President Rodrigo Duterte. 

In an interview, Dela Rosa said that during his entire stint as the country’s top cop, he never saw Marcos’ name in any list of personalities involved in the illegal drug trade. 

“Wala akong nakita. May mga chismis lang, pero sa aking mga listahan noong ako ay Chief PNP, wala akong nakita,” Dela Rosa said, refuting the allegation made by Duterte. 

When asked if Marcos was ever investigated nor suspected of illegal drugs, the former PNP chief said: “Wala. Hindi namin siya inimbestigahan.”

Dela Rosa’s statement concurs with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), which also contradicted the former president’s claim, stressing that Marcos’ name was never included ever since the National Drug Information System or NDIS was created. 

“Based on all the foregoing facts, the PDEA asserts that President Marcos Jr. is not and was never in its watchlist,” the PDEA said in a statement.

“It is worthwhile to note that, when the former President took over in 2016, his administration came out with a list, which was then initially called the ‘narco-list, sometimes referred to as the Duterte list, and upon continuing validation and re-validation, it became the Inter-Agency Drug Information Database, or IDI,” the PDEA said.

“The name of President Marcos is also not in the said list,” the agency added.

Likewise, Sen. Imee Marcos said that Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte has apologized to her for calling for the chief executive’s resignation. 

“Mayor Baste approached me to say sorry over and over again. I understood him for being emotional because of concerns that his father and sister may be arrested,” Sen. Marcos said in an interview.