New narco-list out 'before next week'

MANILA - Politicians allegedly dabbling with the narcotics trade "waived" their rights to be presumed innocent, Malacañang said Tuesday, ahead of the looming release of another list of supposedly drug-tainted officials.

The narco-list will be out "anytime before next week", some 2 months ahead of May's midterm elections, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said, despite misgivings from rights advocates and some lawmakers.

Panelo said he did not know how many politicians will be in the list, but that "since it's a national election, it will include all those involved."

The Commission on Human Rights earlier said it recognizes that the list is meant to ensure that only law-abiding candidates get elected, but it also reminded the administration that "presumption of innocence is a Constitutionally-guaranteed right."

The body urged the government to instead file cases against the alleged narco-officials.

Panelo, however, said some rights under the Constitution "can be waived."

"These candidates who are involved in drugs, to my mind waived the right -- to such right -- of being given presumption of innocence," he told ANC.

"Why? They know they are involved there, they run for public office and it's fair game. You open yourself to criticism as well as exposure of your involvement to anything illegal," he added.

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Administrative and criminal charges, he said, will also be lodged "soon" against officials in the list, but the government "cannot let people wait to be informed."

"As far as we're concerned, we will not allow people involved in drugs to govern," he said.

"Under the Constitution, there is the right to information by the people, of the people, so it becomes the corollary duty of the state to provide such information -- information of manners of public concern which affect the lives and the welfare of the people. The voters and the public have a right to know who are these destroyers of society," the official added.

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Candidates tagged in the narco-list will not be automatically disqualified from the May 13 polls, a Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesman said on Monday.

"We maintain na until there is a final conviction, there should be a presumption of innocence and therefore, hindi s'ya disqualifying," Director James Jimenez told reporters.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency last year released a narco-list tagging some 200 village officials ahead of the barangay elections.

President Rodrigo Duterte also released his own drug matrix in 2016, but later apologized for the erroneous inclusion of several personalities.