FACT CHECK: No PDEA drug list naming Cagayan de Oro barangay officials, mayors

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No such list exists, according to PDEA Regional Office X and the Cagayan de Oro City Information Office

Claim: The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has released a validated 2025 drug list linking Cagayan de Oro officials, including the incumbent city mayor and a congressional candidate, to illegal drug activities.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: At the time of writing, the Facebook post has over 2,300 reactions, 1,200 comments, and 1,200 shares.

The post includes a graphic with the News5 logo along with the text: “Opisyal nang inilabas ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) ang validated listahan ng mga barangay officials at city mayor na may kaugnayan sa ilegal na droga ngayong 2025.”

(The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has officially released the validated list of barangay officials and city mayors linked to illegal drugs in 2025.)

The post’s caption states: “ISYU KARON: Giapil sa pinakabag-ong drug watchlist sa PDEA Region 10 ang duha ka miyembro sa usa ka dakong pamilya sa Cagayan de Oro — 1st District congressional aspirant Joaquin “Kikang” Uy ug incumbent Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy giingong nalambigit sa kalihukan sa illegal nga droga.”

(Included in the latest drug watchlist of PDEA Region 10 are two members of a prominent family in Cagayan de Oro — 1st District congressional aspirant Joaquin “Kikang” Uy and incumbent Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy, who are reportedly linked to illegal drug activities.)

The post circulated as campaigns ramp up ahead of the 2025 midterm elections on May 12, 2025. (READ: Guide to the 2025 Philippine elections)

The facts: In an April 22 public advisory, PDEA Regional Office X debunked the claim, saying the post showing the supposed document is fake.

“PDEA does not publish, release, or circulate any list of drug personalities online. The alleged document is fabricated and maliciously uses the PDEA name and logo to mislead the public and create confusion,” the agency stated.

Joaquin Uy, one of the officials named in the posts, publicly refuted the claim and urged voters to report misinformation.

On April 24, the Cagayan de Oro City Information Office made a Facebook post flagging the false information being circulated online. The office urged citizens to report misleading content during the election season to “keep our community informed and safe.”

Digitally manipulated graphics: The post includes a caption and a graphic falsely attributed to News5, but there is no such report on News5’s official platforms.

The image of the supposed drug list seems to be a manipulated version of a 2018 PDEA document that named only barangay officials. It does not list mayors or congressional candidates for the 2025 midterm polls.

Narco lists: During the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte, drug watchlists, commonly called “narco lists,” were used to name local officials accused of drug involvement, often without charges or evidence. However, PDEA admitted that it did not have enough airtight evidence to convict everyone on the list. The Commission on Human Rights has also criticized the practice for lacking due process and potentially damaging the lives and reputations of those wrongly accused. – Mari Samantha Bersaldo/Rappler.com 

Mari Samantha Bersaldo is a Rappler volunteer. She is a fourth-year Legal Management student at De La Salle University – Manila.

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