An administration ally in the House of Representatives has defended President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to reinstate Supt. Marvin Marcos to the police force.
Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles said the President was just being consistent with his vow to take responsibility for all actions committed by law enforcers in the war against illegal drugs.
Nograles said Marcos’ reinstatement is yet another sign that the Chief Executive is bent on using the full powers of the presidency to win the war against illegal drugs.
“President Duterte has been very vocal about his hardline position against illegal drugs and he even declared that he would take the cudgels for members of law enforcement who risk life, limb and career in their efforts to bring down powerful drug lords,” Nograles, chairman of the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations, said.
Nograles said the President should be given the benefit of the doubt as he has access to classified information and intelligence reports more than anybody else.
“The President is also correct in reminding us that everyone should be proven guilty first and not presumed guilty until proven innocent. As a lawyer and former prosecutor, he knows what he is talking about.”
Nograles, a lawyer, said that it is premature to declare any wrongdoing on the part of Marcos and his team when they conducted the operation that killed Leyte town mayor Rolando Espinosa, a suspected drug lord.
Since the case of Marcos is already in hands of the courts, Marcos said the legal process should take its course, Nograles said.
“The Senate has released its own findings. The Executive branch already meted an administrative penalty. Now it’s time for the judiciary to act as the final arbiter of this case and to determine guilt of the accused.”
