MANILA – Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) president Abdiel Dan Fajardo said the government should use the list of politicians allegedly involved in illegal drug trade for investigation.
The supposed “narcolist” is not for public consumption, he added.
“Maging lead na lang sana. Maging batayan na lang muna sa imbestigasyon at hindi ‘yung sa publication ng isang imputation ng isang offense na posibleng hindi maging totoo dahil ang ginamit na basis ay wiretapped conversations,” Fajardo, who has roots in Antique, said.
He also warned the government that it risks being charged with libel under the Revised Penal Code if the individuals in the narcolist are proven not involved in illegal drug trade.
The IBP president expressed his reservation on previous statement of Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo that the narcolist was based on “wiretapped information” provided by foreign governments to the Philippines.
“‘Yung ating sariling pamahalaan ay hindi pwedeng mag-wiretap unless nagpaalam sa korte. Kailangan po makumbinsi ‘yung korte muna na kailangan ito for national security bago ka pahintulutan,” Fajardo said.
Panelo has since retracted that controversial statement, saying that his previous statement was based on “logic” and “educated guess.”
He added that the information in the narcolist came from drug surrenderers and arrested drug suspects./PN
