PDEA: No Ilocos narco-pols cleared

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) yesterday refuted reports that several politicians from the Ilocos region have been removed from President Duterte’s drug watchlist.

“The President has the sole power to clear a narco-politician as recommended by four recommending bodies, namely PDEA, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” PDEA chief Aaron Aquino said. 

His statement came a few days after a report came out that the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) Region 1 revalidation sub-committee reportedly recommended Pangasinan Rep. Jesus Celeste, Naguilian Mayor Reynaldo Flores and Bauang Mayor Eugelio Clarence Martin de Guzman III be cleared from Duterte’s narco-list. Both mayors are from La Union.

The report said the sub-committee found “no evidence of the target’s involvement in illegal drug activity.”  

Aquino said the RPOC alone has no authority to clear an alleged narco-politician, adding that the three men are still under investigation by the four agencies tasked to clear persons in the narco-list.