By Liezelle Soriano
MANILA — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) disclosed on Monday (29 Jan 2024) that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was never on their drug watchlist.
This was after the allegations of former president Rodrigo Duterte, claiming that the agency showed Marcos’ name in the supposed drug list.
“Based on all the foregoing facts, the PDEA asserts that President Marcos Jr. is not and was never in its watchlist,” the PDEA said in a statement, contradicting Duterte.
Duterte said that the alleged evidence was shown to him when he was mayor of Davao.
Based on records, the PDEA said that the agency was activated on July 30, 2002, when it established its National Drug Information System (NDIS), which serves as an intelligence database of all drug personalities that is responsible for gathering inputs from law enforcement and intelligence counterparts.
The PDEA also emphasized that President Marcos was never included in its NDIS since the time it was created in 2002 and up to the present.
(el Amigo/MNM)