Showbiz love team on drug watch list likely in their 20s, says PDEA chief

MANILA, Philippines — A showbiz love team on the drug watch list of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) are in their 20s.

This was revealed by PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino in an interview with INQUIRER.net on Friday, March 29.

“They’re at their 20s. Palagay ko lang nasa ganoon (I think their age are in that range),” Aquino said when asked for a clue about celebrities on PDEA’s drug watch list.

Aquino, however, said he cannot tell whether the love team, which he refused to identify, is famous among television viewers.

The anonymous love team is among the 31 celebrities on PDEA’s watch list of mostly young actors and actresses allegedly involved in illegal drugs. Of the 31, the PDEA chief said 20 are male, while 11 are female.

In a television interview on Thursday, Aquino said he is not in favor of disclosing identities of showbiz personalities on the watch list. But on Friday, he qualified his statement and said he would reveal the names of celebrities into drugs if President Rodrigo Duterte tells him to do so and after the list has been verified.

“Basta unang-una utos ng Presidente, kung inutusan ako ng Presidente, i-re-release ko,” he said. “I think pwede siguro nating i-release once validated and confirmed.”

(If the President tells me to release the list, I will do so… I think we can release it once it is validated and confirmed.)

Aquino also earlier urged television networks to conduct surprise and mandatory drug test to their artists.

READ: TV networks urged to conduct mandatory, surprise drug test to celebs

Executives of local television networks have yet to respond to Aquino’s proposal. /kga