Interior Secretary Eduardo Año. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) do not have a policy to kill people included in the so-called narco list or list of politicians allegedly involved in the illegal drugs trade, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año stressed on Thursday.
“Sa PNP at DILG we don’t have any policy of extrajudicial killing or taking out people on the narcolist. I will never allow that. It is not my cup of tea,” Año said on CNN Philippines when asked about the danger faced by individuals on the narcolist, including slain Los Baños, Laguna Mayor Caesar Perez.
“So ang sabi ko sa PNP, investigate, follow the evidence wherever it would lead us. So be it kung may tamaan diyan, kasuhan natin. Kahit naman siguro criminal may due process naman,” he added.
(I told PNP to investigate, stick to the pieces of evidence. So be it if a person is guilty, we will file a case. Even criminals must face due process.)
Año also noted that a person in the narcolist should be removed from the list if a case is already filed against them.
“If you are in the drug list somehow there are so many risks involved but the President is saying na hindi naman kanya ang listahan, kundi collation ng information from different agencies. At mayroon namang monthly validation na ginagawa at kung ikaw ay napatunayan talaga ay sasampahan ng kaso,” the interior department chief said.
(The President already disowned the list, saying it’s a collation from different agencies. There is already a monthly validation that we are doing and if they are proven guilty, they will face charges.)
“Para sa akin, kapag may kaso ka na, kapag nakulong ka na, dapat pwede ka na tanggalin sa [narco]list na ‘yan,” he added.
(For me, if a case os filed or they are detained, they should be removed from the narcolist.)
President Rodrigo Duterte revealed in a speech on Monday that the narcolist that included Perez did not come from him.
Human Rights Watch, however, said Duterte’s act to distance himself from the narcolist is “the height of hypocrisy and a way to steer clear of responsibility.