Former president Rodrigo Duterte called President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. a “drug addict” and said his name was included in a list from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
This is baseless.
STATEMENT
Speaking at the “One Nation, One Opposition” prayer rally in Davao City on Sunday, Jan. 28, Duterte said:
“Noong ako po ay mayor, pinakitaan ako ng evidence ng PDEA. Doon sa listahan, nandoon pangalan mo [Marcos].”
Source: Rody Duterte Facebook Account, PRAYER RALLY January 28, 2024…, Jan. 28, 2024, watch from 3:33:34 to 3:33:52
FACT
Duterte showed no proof of his claim.
On Jan. 29, PDEA posted a statement on its Facebook page debunking Duterte’s statement, which reads:
“Based on all the foregoing facts, the PDEA asserts that President Marcos Jr. is not and was never in its watchlist.”
Source: PDEA Top Stories, PDEA: PRESIDENT FERDINAND R MARCOS JR WAS NEVER IN OUR WATCH LIST, Jan. 29, 2024
The PDEA, which is under the Office of the President, is the lead anti-drug enforcement agency. It is actively engaged in anti-illegal drug operations across the country, including gathering intelligence, building cases and conducting operations to arrest violators. It prepares a narco-list, which includes names of persons being watched for involvement in the illegal drug trade.
Duterte was mayor of Davao City for three terms: from 1988 to 1998, 2001 to 2010, and 2013 to 2016.
PDEA said the National Drug Information System (NDIS) was established in 2002, during Duterte’s second term as mayor. The NDIS serves as the intelligence database for all individuals involved in drug-related activities, collecting information from various counterparts in law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
PDEA further stated that when Duterte assumed the presidency in 2016, he unveiled a list, initially called the “narco-list,” also referred to as the “Duterte list.” Over time, this list became the IDID (Inter-Agency Drug Information Database). PDEA maintains that like the NDIS, Marcos’ name was never included in the IDID.
BACKSTORY
During a 2016 interview with VERA Files Fact Check, PDEA Spokesperson Derrick Arnold Carreon mentioned that discrepancies in narco-lists may have occurred in the past due to the absence of an “adjudication process.”
(Read VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Is the DILG vetting the narco-lists?)
This process involves intelligence units from various agencies convening to assess whether a suspected drug user is still actively involved or if their name should be removed from the list.
“We will only find out once the person is arrested or if a case is filed in court,” Carreon explained.
Carreon also noted that, considering past inaccuracies on the narco-lists, it’s essential to consider the potential for human error despite efforts to avoid it.
The last time Duterte exposed names from a narco-list was on MarchMar. 14, 2019, months ahead of the May mid-term elections. Marcos, who held no position at the time and was not running for local office, was not mentioned.
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Sources
PDEA Top Stories, PDEA: PRESIDENT FERDINAND R MARCOS JR WAS NEVER IN OUR WATCH LIST, January 29, 2024
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Website, Mandate and Functions, Accessed January 29, 2024
On Duterte revealing names of 46 “narco-politicians”
- Philippine News Agency, Duterte bares names of 46 gov’t officials linked to drugs, March 14, 2019
- Inquirer.net, Duterte exposes 46 ‘narco politicians,’ March 14, 2019
- CNN Philippines, Duterte tags politicians in ‘somewhat validated’ narco list, March 14, 2019
(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)
