By GENALYN KABILING
Not a single Metro Manila mayor has been implicated in illegal drug activity based on the list of President Duterte, according to a top police official.
The list of suspected narcpoliticians, however, includes a number of councilors and barangay officials in Metro Manila, said National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Oscar Albayalde.
“If we’ll talk about the list of the President, mayors pataas, wala doon sa listahan niya,” Albayalde said in a Palace news conference.
“But barangay captains down, we have, ‘yung councilors. Of course, yes mga city councilors meron ‘no. Doon sa original or doon sa list coming from the President,” he said.
He said the police have already arrested several barangay officials for alleged involvement in illegal drugs. He observed that it was “not far-fetched” about the involvement of more government officials in the illegal drug trade.
“There are still or there are more politicians probably barangay councilor or city councilors down are still involved in illegal drugs and some probably will just be involved in protection,” he said.
“Dahil alam naman natin kung minsan ‘no this politics in our country, so kung minsan kahit mali na ’yung ginagawa ng isang tao because of the vote, eh tino-tolerate ng ating mga local officials,” he said.
Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa recently warned that more narcopoliticians and drug lords would fall as part of the intensified drug crackdown,
Dela Rosa made the remarks following the death of Ozamiz City mayor Reynaldo Parojinog. The mayor, his wife, and several others were gunned down in a predawn police raid in Ozamiz last weekend.
A few months ago, the President gathered a list of government officials, including policemen and judges, with suspected links to the drug trade. Parojinog was among those identified by the President in the list.
Meantime, Albayalde downplayed reports of alleged dumping of bodies of slain drug suspects into Manila Bay. He said they have not received reports of any recovery of dead bodies in the area.
“I don’t know where they got that information. Since the start of the war on drugs, wala pa tayong na-recover na patay sa Manila Bay whatsoever,” he said.