Manila---The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) officer on
Sunday said that it would be an unfair and negative campaign to present the
names of politicians running on May elections, who were belonged to the narco
list and having alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade.
Negative campaigning yang ginagawa nila kapag nilagay nila
sa listahan yan. ‘Huwag niyong iboto 'to ng mga taong kasi mga drug pusher
ito.’ E di negative campaigning iyan. Unfair naman 'yun,” Comelec commissioner
Rowena Guanzon said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.
Credit Image: https://www.mindanaodailynews.com/comelec-pnp-hold-peace-covenant-signing-for-safe-2016-candidates-forum/
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)
Secretary Eduardo Año earlier said the list of supposed narco-politicians will
be released before the start of the campaign period for local candidates.
“In due time we will release it. The start of local election
campaign will be on March 30, before that period we will make public the list,”
Año said.
“We do not want those innocent to get involved in this. It
would be unfair to them,” Año added.
Año said the validation of the narco list is still ongoing
wherein this week he is set to meet with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency
(PDEA) director general Aaron Aquino and Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) chairman
Catalino Cuy to lay down the details of the release before the May midterm
polls.
Guanzon, on the other hand, suggests to the DILG and PDEA to
file cases beforehand against the politicians who are clearly involved in drug trade
prior to the releasing of the list.
She further said the Comelec has the authority to disqualify
a candidate who is validated to being involved of such crimes.
“Kung ilabas niyo sana 'yan, dapat kinasuhan niyo.Pwedeng
ilagay niyo, ‘Ito may mga kaso na laban sa mga taong ito for violating
Dangerous Drugs Act. Pwede,” she said.
Guanzon said it may be considered libel by listing
politicians’ names who have not yet proven to be involved in the illegal drug
activities.
Under the Revised Penal Code, libel is committed when there
is public and malicious imputation of a crime, or of a vice or defect, real or
imaginary, or any act, omission, condition, status, or circumstance tending to
cause the dishonor, discredit, or contempt of a natural or juridical person, or
to blacken the memory of one who is dead.
"You can do that maybe after the elections,"
Guanzon further said.
However, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez earlier
clarified that negative campaigning that promotes the negative side of a
candidate is allowed under the law.
“Under the law, campaign propaganda is defined as anything
that promotes the victory or defeat of a candidate,” Jimenez said.
“So by that standard, ‘yung kandidato na iyon, his defeat or
her defeat can be promoted. It is a campaign propaganda which is negative and
that’s allowed, so there’s no violation,” Jimenez added.
Last month, President Rodrigo Duterte said he is open to the proposed
release of the narco list in order to guide voters in choosing their right
local bets.
PDEA said they are prepared to heed the instruction of the
President on the narcolist, the same with the DILG that they will put on the
President's hand the instruction about its release.
The latest data of the PDEA showed there are still 83
narco-politicians in the list as it is only the President who can approve the
pending delisting of six individual candidates.
