Albayalde: Marcos Name Absent from Drug Watchlist

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                Retired PGEN Oscar David Albayalde

MANILA, Philippines — A former head of the Philippine National Police (PNP) has come forward to clarify that President Marcos’ name was never on the drug watchlist during the Duterte administration. This statement comes after a video allegedly showing Marcos using illegal drugs surfaced, which supporters of the previous administration recently released.


"I didn’t see his name," former PNP chief Oscar Albayalde said in an interview with ANC yesterday, referring to the drug watchlist that supposedly included names of government officials and other notable personalities.


The PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation later declared the video as fake, dismissing the allegations against Marcos.


Albayalde, who served as the second national police chief under Duterte, admitted he never saw the full drug watchlist. "The drug watchlist was too extensive, and I didn’t have a copy of it," he mentioned.


Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV previously stated that Albayalde and four other officials were named as suspects by the International Criminal Court-Office of the Prosecutor (ICC-OTP) in its ongoing investigation into the thousands of extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses associated with Duterte’s war on drugs.


The other officials named include former PNP chief and current Senator Ronald dela Rosa, Northern Luzon police commander Maj. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr., PNP Drug Enforcement Group head Brig. Gen. Eleazar Matta, and retired police Col. Edilberto Leonardo, who is now a commissioner of the National Police Commission.


Albayalde expressed his reluctance to cooperate with the ICC’s investigation unless directed by the Department of Justice. "I will only cooperate if the Department of Justice instructs me to and if there is a formal order," he stated.


While acknowledging that there were instances of abuse during the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign, Albayalde assured that such cases were promptly addressed and the perpetrators were held accountable.


He cited the example of the arrest and prosecution of the police officers involved in the killing of 17-year-old Kian Loyd delos Santos during an anti-drug operation in Caloocan City in August 2017. At the time, Albayalde, serving as the National Capital Region Police Office director, had dismissed over 1,000 erring police officers from Caloocan.


Regarding the ICC’s accusations against him, Albayalde emphasized that the international tribunal should not interfere in the Philippines' internal affairs, as the country’s justice system is functional.


"The PNP never justified the killings in Duterte’s anti-drug campaign. We are not trying to justify the killings. Never. The PNP is pro-life," he asserted.

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