The opposition bloc in the House of Representatives belittled the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s list of politicians involved in illegal drugs, saying that such list are small fry to begin with.

House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez was referring to the list given to him by Director General Arturo Cacdac, Jr. of PDEA which lists 53 politicians involved in the illegal drug trade which include: a former congressman, former mayor, mayoralty candidate, provincial board candidate, 13 village vhairmen, 30 village councilmen, two municipal councilors, a vice mayor, two municipal mayors, a city councilor, among others.

Cacdac coursed the list to Suarez when they met in the House prior to the opposition’s weekly press conference.

“I am not satisfied with the list. We are talking here of chicken feed. [We have here] barangay councilman, councilors of small towns? These are too small, considering that illegal drugs is an P800 billion industry,” Suarez told reporters.

Suarez cited the case of the recent PDEA nabbing P50 million worth of illegal drugs from an American.

“Where did that [drugs] come from? Who is behind it? I will not be surprised that there are a good number [of politicians involved] especially with this coming political exercise. Drug money is an easy steady source of campaign fund. All these underscore the seriousness of unchecked narco politics as the 2013 elections draw near,” Suarez argued, referring to the May 2013 polls.

Aside from campaign fund, Suarez said that politicians can use their influence in perpetuating the illegal drug trade by promising protection for the drug pushers and users should the candidates eventually win elective posts.

Such influence, Suarez said, is resonating in terms of the state’s failed prosecution of drug offenders because policemen refuse to be witnesses for the prosecution, as well as judges and fiscals usually intimidated by the politicians’ clout.

“There’s no difference between a drug pusher and a protector. They are both supporting and spreading this heinous activity. The influence of this industry is so powerful, that’s why the government is, more often that not, on the losing end when it comes to prosecuting the drug offenders,” Suarez added in closing.

On guard
However, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) yesterday said they could not divulge the names of their target personalities particularly those behind narco-politics.

“It will only put our target (suspected drug dealers or politicians involved in drugs) to be on guard,” Derrick Arnold Carreon, PDEA’s chief of public information office said.

PDEA’s clarification came after several newspapers said that the agency has identified 53 politicians including those occupying top local and national positions were behind illegal drug operations in the country prompting several lawmakers to pressure PDEA to name names.

“Some of these numbers include those who were arrested, some of them were able to have their cases dismissed while others have already served their sentences in jail,” Carreon explained. He added that they opted to be silent about current targets on their sights—and these are politicians or even police officers behind illegal drug trade— as they may be misinterpreted anew.

“But they (targeted individuals) are not that as high in public office unlike those who were listed in our last records. We one some of them— one was a mayoralty candidate before in Mandalayong, one was a mayor in an ambulance loaded with shabu and one congressman who was caught abroad,” Carreon said.

Among police ranks, Carreon said continuing surprise and random drug testing are being carried out by the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory, which is also highly reliable because its facilities now have International Standard Organization (ISO) classifications.