TACLOBAN CITY- A commissioner of the National Youth Commission (NYC) has expressed his support to release the list of candidate-politicians who are running in this midterm elections engaging in the illegal drug trade.
By releasing the so-called narco list, the young voters, in particular, would know that they should not vote these candidates as they are involved in the illicit activity, Victor del Rosario, NYC commissioner for the Visayas, said in an interview.
According to him, Malacañang, through the Department of Interior and Local Government, will do a great service to the 19 million young voters who will cast their votes in the May 13 elections if they will release its narco list.
“(This) will guide our voters, especially the youth. We cannot allow destroyers of the society to be in the government,” del Rosario, who is from Naval, Biliran, said.
“We cannot allow narco politicians to be in power. We know very well that the youth is the number one victims of this drug menace,” he added.
del Rosario said that with these candidate-politicians losing on their bids, this will result to the decline or stop of their illegal drug operation as they loses their clout or influence.
“In the name of the 30 million Filipino youth, as NYC commissioner, ako’y nagpapasalamat sa ating mahal na Pangulong Duterte in his commitment to release the narco list,” he said, expressing his support on this move.
On Tuesday(March 5), during his visit to this city, opposition senatorial candidate Jose Manuel ‘Chel’ Diokno of the Otso Diretso expressed his alarm on this move of Malacañang.
Diokno, a human rights lawyer and advocate, said that the list could be used as a witch hunt to pin down the ‘perceived enemies’ of the administration.
“Pagnagamit yung list na yan ngayon elections, very likely, lahat ng perceived na kalaban nila isasama sa list,” he added.
Diokno said that instead of coming out of its narco list, the administration should instead strengthen the justice system by filing appropriate charges against those suspected to be involved in the illegal drug trade if they have solid evidence against them.
“Kung talagang may basis sila, sampahan nila ng kaso, prosecute them at ikulong and that should happen whether there is an election or not,”Diokno said. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

HILONGOS, Leyte- A congressional candidate for Leyte’s fifth district is pinning her polls victory to presidential daughter, Mayor Sara Duterte.
Marilou Galenzoga said that she is optimistic that this time, she will prevail victorious now that she enjoys the support of the presidential daughter and by extension, President Rodrigo Duterte.
She is running for Congress under Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) which has a coalition with Duterte-funded Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP).
Galenzoga, a businesswoman, has attempted several times to topple the family of outgoing Baybay City Mayor Carmen Cari but lost them all.
For the forthcoming May 13 elections, Galenzoga is seeking the congressional seat to be vacated by Cari’s son, Jose Cari.
Rep. Cari is running for mayor of Baybay with his son, Carl Nicholas, running for the congressional post.
Galenzoga said that she would not stop in running for elective post so long as she could not end what she claimed the Cari dynasty.
The Caris have ruled Leyte’s fifth district for more than four decades now and are relatives to Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla.
A drug-cleared fifth district, livelihood program for the people; a much improved hospital with free medicines and free ambulance use are the programs that she would initiate if elected as a Congress member, Galenzoga said.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)