MANILA- Heads of several government agencies including Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa are expected to appear before the Supreme Court on Tuesday for the resumption of oral arguments on petitions against the administration's war on drugs.

Dela Rosa, along with other key government officials were ordered to attend by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Other key officials expected to attend are Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) officer-in-charge Catalino Cuy, National Police Commission (Napolcom) chief Rogelio Casurao, Police Internal Affairs Service Inspector General Alfegar Triambulo, and Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) officer-in-charge Jose Marlowe Pedregosa.

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Solicitor General Jose Calida is expected to deliver his opening message in defense of the government before taking questions from Supreme Court magistrates.

The High Court last week held its first round of oral arguments on petitions questioning government's anti-drug campaign where petitioners seeking to halt the government’s anti-narcotics campaign slammed a police command memorandum circular for "Oplan Double Barrel."

Associate Justices Estela Perlas-Bernabe and Marvic Leonen meanwhile pointed out to petitioners' counsels Jose Manuel Diokno and Joel Butuyan that a section of the questioned PNP Command Memorandum Circular No. 16-2016 for Oplan Double Barrel provides that police operations shall conform with the law.

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