Davao Oriental 2nd district Rep. Joel Mayo Almario said on Tuesday that drug cases against narco-politicians should be pursued as soon as possible even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"If there is sufficient evidence against the so-called ‘narco-politicians,' cases must be filed way ahead of the filing of certificate of candidacies (CoCs) in October, 2021, for the 2022 general elections. Otherwise, the delay might be misconstrued as politically motivated," Almario said.
"Now is the best time to intensify the national government’s drive against illicit drugs," said the Mindanao congressman.
"People are getting anxious and some ‘narco-heads’ might exploit the growing weariness of its client base by expanding their market and selling more narcotics in the Philippines," he said.
Almario had said that it wasn't enough for the government to come up with a "narco-list." The list is already based on thorough investigation and evaluation by the concerned agencies, he added.
He urged the concerned government agencies to take action now to avoid misconceptions that the filing of drug charges are politically motivated.
Narco-politicians and narco-lists were the highlights of the 2016 presidential race victory of then-Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who became popular for his hardline stance against illegal drugs.