MANILA – A Palace spokesperson on Tuesday said it is the responsibility of personalities linked by President Rodrigo Duterte to the illegal drug trade to have their names cleared if they have nothing to hide.
Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said those who believe they were wrongly named by the president must speak up about the allegations.
''If there are mistakes, the onus now is upon the individuals to express and clarify [their] actual situation,'' Abella told reporters.
Duterte last Sunday named over 150 people, composed of judges, former and incumbent local executives, and law enforcers supposedly involved in the illegal drug trade in the Philippines.
However, doubts have been cast over the accuracy and credibility of the list after some of the persons mentioned were found to be dead.
Some of the people named by Duterte have denied involvement in the illegal drug trade, saying the the president's list must be revalidated.
Asked if this meant that the administration is no longer acknowledging the legal principle of ''presumption of innocence,'' Abella said the situation the nation now faces is ''extraordinary,'' requiring bold moves from the president.
''The situation is that there is a clear and present danger facing the nation. And intelligence reports are of such magnitude, of such breadth and depth that are extraordinary, and that is why he (Duterte) is calling for a public outcry,'' Abella said.
''The naming is part of the process of the warning, that there is such and such a situation. He is asking for the cooperation of these people to come up and clear their names."
Pressed for comment on calls for the administration to first come up with evidence and file actual charges before naming individuals, Abella said: "The length and breadth is of such magnitude, it needs extraordinary measures."
The president said more individuals will be named.
Source : http://news.abs-cbn.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment