Inihayag ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) nitong Lunes na kailanman ay wala sa drug watch list nila ang pangalan ni Pangulong Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., taliwas sa talumpati ni dating pangulong President Rodrigo Duterte nitong Linggo.

"The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) categorically states that President Ferdinand R Marcos, Jr is not in its watch list, contrary to the statement of former President Rodrigo Duterte, claiming that 'when he was the Mayor of Davao, he was shown evidence by PDEA that in the list, the name of the president was there,'" nakasaad sa inilabas na pahayag ng PDEA.

Ayon sa PDEA, naging alkalde ng Davao City si Duterte noong 1988 hanggang 1998, mula 2001 hanggang 2010, at mula 2013 hanggang 2016.

"PDEA, on the other hand, was activated on July 30, 2002," it said.

Nang maging aktibo ang PDEA, sinabi sa pahayag na binuo rin ang National Drug Information System (NDIS).

"The NDIS is the intelligence database of all drug personalities, gathering inputs from counterparts in both law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Pursuant to its mandate under Republic Act 9165, or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, PDEA regularly conducts intelligence workshops in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies to update the NDIS," ayon sa PDEA.

"From its inception in 2002 and up to the present, President Ferdinand R Marcos, Jr was NEVER in our NDIS," paglilinaw ng PDEA.

Ayon pa ahensiya, wala rin ang pangalan ni Marcos sa narco list noong panahon ng panunungkulan ni Duterte bilang pangulo.

"It is worthwhile to note that, when the former President took over in 2016, his administration came out with a list, which was then initially called the 'narco-list, sometimes referred to as the Duterte list', and upon continuing validation and re-validation, it became the Inter-Agency Drug Information Database or IDID. The name of President Marcos is also not in the said list," paliwanag ng PDEA.

"Based on all the foregoing facts, the PDEA asserts that President Marcos, Jr is not and was never in its watch list," patuloy nito.

Sinisikap pang makuhanan ng komento si Duterte, o ang dati niyang executive secretary na si Salvador Medialdea kaugnay sa pahayag ng PDEA.

Sa pagtitipon kontra sa People's Initiative na paraan ng Charter change sa Davao City nitong Linggo, sinabi ni Duterte na nais ng mga Marcos na magtagal sa kapangyarihan.
Tinawag din niyang "bangag" ang pangulo.

"Nung ako mayor, pinakitaan ako ng evidence ng PDEA. Doon sa listahan, nandoon yung pangalan mo," he said, referring to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. "Ayaw kong sabihin 'yan kasi magkaibigan tayo. Kung 'di man magkaibigan, magkakilala. Eh ikaw eh, pumapasok kayo nang alanganin. Mr. President, baka susunod ka sa dinaanan ng tatay mo. Diyan ako takot. Ayaw ko mangyari sa iyo 'yan. Ako lang nagmamakaawa kasi it will divide the nation at madugo itong panahong ito," ayon kay Duterte. —may ulat sina Anna Felicia Bajo at Giselle Ombay/FRJ, GMA Integrated News