There is a glitch in the matrix. The drug matrix, that is.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tue, Sep 27, apologized to three local officials who were wrongly named in his narco-list as coddlers of the illegal drug trade in the province.
“I would like to apologize to you publicly. And I would say now, I am very sorry,” Duterte told former Pangasinan governor and now congressman Amado Espino, who was included in the drug matrix released by the President about a month ago.
President Duterte also apologized to board member Raul Sison and former Pangasinan provincial administrator Raffy Baraan, the brother of former Justice undersecretary Francisco Baraan, who allegedly played a key role in drug distribution in the New Bilibid Prison.
“Somehow, we were negligent in counter-checking during the first report,” Duterte admitted.
The President noted that Baraan and Espino are involved in a separate mining case, but he wasn’t able to link their names to the illegal drug trade even after a number of reviews.
“I can be foul-mouthed but when I make a mistake, I can say I am very sorry,” he added in Filipino.
Espino said that he was humbled by the President’s apology. “The truth has finally come out and I thank the President very much,” he said.
The former three-time Pangasinan governor also promised his “sincere and relentless support” for the President’s anti-drug war, which was also his campaign message for the past six elections.
The President maintained that former justice undersecretary Francisco Baraan and Senator Leila De Lima are involved in the illicit drug trade.
You can watch Duterte’s speech here.
