Drilon-Roxas ‘drug links’ ploy to stifle Duterte admin’s horror stories —LP

The Liberal Party on Saturday slammed anew the alleged involvement of Senator Franklin Drilon and former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas in narco trade, insisting that the claim is a ploy to sidestep Duterte administration's "horror stories."

In a statement, former ruling party LP said that linking Drilon and Roxas to illegal drug crimes is a "tactic" of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration to "run away from their own horror stories."

Among the "horror" stories that LP cited is the entry of the P6.4 billion worth of shabu into the country, unnoticed by the Bureau of Customs. The contraband had easily slipped past BOC's gates amid the harsh crackdown on illegal drugs.

"Thousands of families are now living in fear and horror due to the deaths of their loved ones in the name of the government’s brutal and bloody campaign against drugs," the statement said.

"They [Duterte's minions] are crafting a laughable and outrageous work of fiction to divert the attention of the public from their own terrifying stories," it added.

The statement came after Drilon and Roxas were tagged as “protectors” of slain drug lord Melvin Odicta by Ricky Serenio, a drug personality in the Visayas, according to a newspaper report.

Last Wednesday, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the Department of Justice (DOJ) will treat Serenio's affidavit as a complaint.

"The move to link several prominent Liberal Party members to illegal drugs is their attempt to cover their lack of governance, which requires hard work, facts, and truth," the LP said.

The party reiterated that the current administration should focus on addressing the issue of the shabu shipment and holding those responsible—not only Fidel Anoche Dee, a warehouse caretaker arrested as the lone suspect to the smuggling.

In an earlier statement, the LP said that Serenio's accusation was a "baseless testimony," alleging that the Duterte administration has a "habit of manufacturing witnesses" to demonize the Party. —LBG, GMA News