Boholanos called for harsher penalties, even death to public officials that will be included in the much awaited “narco list” that is expected to be released to the public soon.

Public frustration has apparently reached the tipping point as Boholanos who are considered deeply religious has openly and vehemently pushed for the “extrajudicial killing” of these public officials involved in the drug trade.

The so called “narco list” involves public officials and police officers that are involved in the illegal drug trade as coddlers, protectors, users or drug lords.

This was the response by listeners of DYRD “Inyong Alagad” to the question “What sanctions should be imposed against public officials in Bohol identified linked to illegal drugs.

According to Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco, Jr., former Maribojoc Mayor in an interview with the Chronicle that at least five local officials and a number of police officers are under covert investigations to validate intelligence information on their alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Several callers, apparently exasperated by the continued existence of drug users and pushers in their barangays despite the huge number of users and drug pushers who turned themselves in to police officers blamed local officials for coddling or protecting these drug offenders.

According to reports, those close to those in authority are still in operation in connivance with police officials whose authority are undermined by the corrupting control and supervision by municipal officials.

Bohol accounted for almost half of those who turned themselves to police authorities in Central Visayas – more than 30,000, in response to “Oplan Tokhang” or toktok (knock) and hangyo (appeal).

Police authorities, based on a list provided by barangay officials, knock on the doors of those on the list and make an appeal to present themselves to the police station for profiling and counseling.

159 public officials – mayors, judges and police officers were among the 159 officials that were on the list bared to the public by President Rodrigo Duterte at Camp Panabo in Davao City on the early morning of July 31, 2016.

97% of the 1,109 barangays in Bohol are infiltrated with illegal drugs with ten towns tagged by police authorities as “deeply infiltrated”. (Chito M. Visarra)