27 local chief executives who are allegedly narcopoliticians are expected to be named by the president.
Tuesday night or anytime on Wednesday. It is when all eyes and ears center to President Rodrigo Duterte because the Malacañang Palace said on Monday that it is when the president will name the narcopoliticians in the country.
Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said that the names of politicians involved in illegal drugs came out in intelligence reports and were carefully investigated.
“My God, you will be shocked”, said Panelo. But he refused to name anyone of the involved politicians saying, “Hintayin n’yo na lang para mas may impact” (Just wait for the declaration to preserve impact).
Panelo said many were from the provinces and belonging to prominent families. He said Duterte personally knew so Panelo said many were from the provinces and belonging to prominent families.
“Basta ang sabi ni Presidente, ‘Kilala ko ito pero I have a duty to serve and protect the people” (I know this one but I have to serve and protect the people), the presidential legal counsel said.
The name-shame-campaign is not new to the Duterte administration. The president himself had named five police generals allegedly protecting drug syndicates but they all denied any wrongdoing. The naming of alleged illegal drug groups protectors transpired on the 69th anniversary of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) at Clark Airbase, Pampanga.
Named ‘narco cops’ were PNP Deputy Director General Marcelo Garbo Jr., Former National Capital Region Police Office chief Director Joel Pagdilao, Former Western Visayas regional director C/Supt. Bernardo Diaz, Former Quezon City police District director C/Supt. Edgardo Tinio and retired police Gen. Vicente Loot.
He had also named alleged drug lords who are mostly Chinese. Duterte also named the so-called ‘Bilibid 19’ which includes the drug lords Peter Lim alias Jaguar and Herbert Colangco who is linked to the Kuratong Baleleng Group. Lim and Colangco are said to have shabu laboratories inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).