Albayalde dares candidates in barangay, SK polls: Take the drug test

Philippine National Police chief Dir. Gen. Oscar D. Albayalde challenges all barangay officials, including candidates for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, to voluntarily undergo a drug test to clear themselves from any links to illegal drugs during a press conference on Monday, May 7, 2018. (INQUIRER.net/Jhoanna Ballaran)

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Dir. Gen. Oscar Albayalde dared on Monday all barangay officials, including candidates for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, to voluntarily undergo a drug test to clear themselves from any links to illegal drugs.

Albayalde said if they are not hiding anything, barangay officials and candidates should submit themselves to such test and not wait for another so-called “narcolist” to be released to the public.

“We’re actually putting this drug test challenge sa mga officials at tumatakbo. Sabi nila walang batas dito but we wanted to put this challenge na why not go to a drug test,” Albayalde said in a press briefing at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

(We’re actually putting this drug test challenge to all officials and candidates. They said that there is no law mandating such, but we wanted to put this challenge to why not undergo a drug test.)

“Kung wala naman silang tinatago, why not undergo a voluntary drug test,” he added. “’Yun nga ‘yung sinasabi namin na kailangan pa ba na lumabas pa ‘yang listahan na ‘yan bago sila maakusahan ng ganyan?”

(If they are not hiding anything, why not undergo a voluntary drug test. That’s what we are saying, do we need another narcolist to be released to the public before they get accused of such?)

Albayalde cited the case of a barangay in Ilocos region wherein incumbent barangay officials and several candidates underwent a voluntary drug test.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has said that a mandatory drug test is unconstitutional as it is not listed as one of the requirements under the law.

On April 30, citing the orders of President Rodrigo Duterte, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) made public the names of 207 barangay officials allegedly involved in illegal drugs despite warnings from human rights groups that it violates due process.

Many of those named have cried foul over their inclusion in the narcolist, denying their supposed links to illegal drugs.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said the move is “dumb and cruel” because it preempts the gathering of evidence against those in the list that was merely based on intelligence reports, which could not be validated unless charges against those in the list are filed in court.

The senator also warned the agencies that they can be charged with libel for releasing the list.                        /kga