President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. KING RODRIGUEZ/PPD
President Rodrigo Duterte has denied that the source of the drug lists he had shown to the public came former President Fidel V. Ramos.
In statement released on Thursday by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPPAP), Duterte was quoted as denying media reports, saying the drug list was from Ramos.
“President Duterte categorically denied media reports claiming that former president Fidel Ramos was the original source of the so-called drug list,” OPAPP said.
“To say that the source of the narcotics list came from President Ramos was a total fabrication,” Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza said, quoting Duterte.
In his speech before the Filipino community in Laos last Tuesday, Duterte said Ramos showed him a list of military generals and policemen involved in illegal drugs.
READ: Duterte: Ramos showed me list of generals, cops in drugs
“President Ramos went to Davao four times, not three times. Four. Tapos una, wala siyang pinakita, basta sabi lang niya (At first, he did not show anything, he just said), ‘you must run because it’s about time that Mindanao would have its own President.’ Yun lang ang usapan, limitado (That was what we talked about, it was limited.),” the President said.
“The second time, he was strongly urging me to run. Sabi niya, ‘ikaw lang ang makapigil nito kung papaano.’ Then he showed me a list ng mga—nandoon na, mga generals—sa droga. Pati pulis, gano’n kakapal, hindi ko binitawan ‘yung iba kasi vina-validate ko pa (of generals involve in illegal drugs. Police officials were also included. I kept the names of some because I was validating the list),” he added.
Barely a week after he assumed office, Duterte publicly named police generals allegely linked to drugs. He had also named “narcopoliticians” involved in the illegal drug trade, including his staunchest critic Sen. Leila de Lima. RAM/rga
READ: Rody names politicians, judges, cops allegedly into illegal drugs