MANILA, Philippines — Amid criticisms from rights advocates and groups, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency announced that there are 207 village officials on the government list of politicians allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade Monday. Of the 207 village officials included on the so-called “narco-list,” 90 are barangay captains, while 117 are barangay councilors. Bicol has the most number of officials on the list with 70, followed by CARAGA with 34 and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao with 13. The release of the list linking politicians to the trade of illegal narcotics came two weeks before the village and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on April 14. Human Rights Watch warned that the narco-list would endanger the lives of hundreds once it releases the list of candidates supposedly involved in the trade of illegal drugs.

Source: Philippine Star April 30, 2018 03:11 UTC