MANILA - The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday said it will wait for the move of the Office of the Solicitor General regarding the order of the Court of Appeals to remove the name of Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso III from the government’s list of narco-politicians.

In a statement, PDEA said that though it acknowledges and respects the decision of the Court of Appeals ordering the removal of Veloso's name from its Inter-Agency Drug Information Database, it has to wait for the decision of the OSG as the "principal law office and legal defender of the government tasked to represent the government, its agencies and instrumentalities for the exhaustion of legal remedies available."

"PDEA, as one of the executive arms of the government, is bound to abide and follow the rule of law. However, we defer all our actions to the Office of the Solicitor General being the principal law office and legal defender of the government tasked to represent the government, its agencies and instrumentalities for the exhaustion of legal remedies available," it said.

PDEA also assured that it is validating the names on its list.

"To show the government’s resolve in validating the list, no less than the heads of the concerned agencies who are members of the Review, Evaluation and Management of Inter-Agency Drug Information Database Committee (REMIDID) met last month to hasten and facilitate the adjudication process," it said.

"PDEA reassures the public of its commitment, dedication, and determination in achieving drug-resistant and self-policing communities in the future," PDEA added.

The CA Former Special Eighth Division, in a ruling dated June 8, granted the privilege of the writ of habeas data prayed for by Veloso, who sought to be excluded from the list the President himself released in March 2019, just ahead of the midterm polls.

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