Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILABULLETIN)

Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers says the fake news and malicious posts linking him to the illegal drug trade are simply part of an attempt to ruin the credibility of the House quad-committee (quad-comm).

"I am an anti-illegal drugs advocate, but now, I am now considered as a drug lord," a sarcastic Barbers said in a manifestation during a hearing of the House Committee on Public Order on Tuesday, Nov. 19.

Barbers is the overall chairman of the quad-comm, which has been investigating in aid of legislation the blood anti-illegal drug drive of the previous Duterte administration. 

The veteran congressman recently found himself on the receiving end of allegations that he was involved with drugs. This, as the allegations stemming from the quad-comm became more and more provocative to certain people.

"I'm sure marami tayong kasamahan na nagiging subject ng tirades or yung mga fake news sa social media," Barbers told the Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez-led panel.

(I'm sure we have a lot colleagues who have become subjects of tirades or fake news on social media. 

"If you're going to base it doon sa social media na lumalabas, eh perhaps (If you're going to base it on the social media posts, then perhaps) that's just one way of these people trying to discredit and probably destroy the credibility of the quad-committee," he said.

"Hindi po ako lang, hindi naman po ako ang quad-comm. Ako lamang po ang isa sa mga kasamahan ng ating mga magagaling na co-chairs," Barbers said.

(The quad-comm doesn't refer to me alone. I'm just one of the co-chairs.)

He says that politicians are just as prone to be targeted by fake news-spreaders as police officers.

"Kung nangyari nga yan sa pag-discredit, pagsira o paninirang puri sa mga miyembro o kawani ng Philippine National Police (PNP), hindi po malayo na tayo bilang mga political personalities ay maging biktima rin nito," he said.

(If members or officers of the PNP can be discredited or assailed, then that could also happen to us as political personalities.)

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"And I will attest to that because ako mismo na-experience ko yan eh. So ngayon, drug lord na ako (I've already experienced that. Now I'm a drug lord)," Barbers again said sarcastically. 

"And I've been fighting this drug war for several decades, since I became a poltician in 1995 until now, I've been an anti-illegal drug advocate. It's just now, this year, that I've been considered a high-value target," he further said.

Barbers, who is on his third and final term as a congressman is the longtime chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs.