AN OFFICIAL of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Northern Mindanao declined on Thursday to make public the supposed drug list containing the names of incumbent village officials and other personalities who are candidates in the coming village and youth polls.
PRO spokesperson Superintendent Lemuel Gonda said there is still no directive on whether to disclose the list of village officials allegedly involved in the illegal drug activities.
Gonda said only President Rodrigo Duterte can reveal the names and said the police could not divulge the names on the list as doing so may violate human rights.
"We could not do that unless there is due process of law kay dili pwede i-divulge nga walay ebidensiya ug wala na-file ang kaso," Gonda said during the Talakayan sa PIA (Philippine Information Agency) yesterday, April 19.
However, Gonda said they are monitoring personalities running for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections who may have links with narcotics trade.
He said they begun to receive reports of personalities supposedly participating in the illegal drug transaction at the start of the election period.
But, these reports will be subjected to thorough validation.
"There are reports but for validation kay basin pangdaot lang na sa ila kay intelligence driven man ta," Gonda said.
Once the information are confirmed in the validation process, the police will then submit reports to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
DILG-Northern Mindanao director Arnel Agabe said the drug list is with the police and anti-narcotics agency, not with them.
"This is again subject for validation so that we will not be violating any human right because the list is being updated and continuously validated," Agabe said.