FOUR more congressmen and 25 local government officials have been included in the government's list of "narco-politicians," Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director Aaron Aquino said Thursday, March 28.

Aquino said they cannot divulge yet the identities of the local government executives, stressing they are still validating their alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade.

“Ipa-priority ko muna ‘yung naiiwan pa na narco-politicians na hindi pa nadi-disclose kasi ‘yung partial na na-disclose ng ating Presidente ay 46 pa lang, so more or less nasa 25 pa yata o 20 yung naiiwan,” he said.

(I will prioritize first those alleged narco-politicians whose names were not disclosed yet, because President Rodrigo Duterte has named only 46, so there are more or less 25 other names in the list.)

He said the PDEA is working double time, hoping that the names of the narco-politicians will be released prior to the May 13 midterm polls.

On March 14, Duterte identified the 46 politicians allegedly involved in illegal drug operations.

The names announced by Duterte included 35 mayors, seven vice-mayors, one provincial board member, and three members of the House of Representatives.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government has filed charges of grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, conduct unbecoming of a public officer, and gross neglect of duty against the 46 politicians.

Authorities earlier said releasing the names of the politicians on the list will help voters decide on who to vote as the country’s next leaders. (SunStar Philippines)