STRONGER RESOLVE NEEDED — Six deaths in just 12 hours in a small city like Dagupan. Wow, this is a record of sort and could land in the Guinness Book.

This happened between the night of Sept. 20 to the early morning of Sept. 21. The victims were reportedly all drug pushers.

We heard that in that span of time, residents, particularly on Arellano Street, were almost sleepless because of the constant wails of ambulances rushing the victims to the Region I Medical Center.

As expected, not even one of the perpetrators was arrested or at least identified, which means they are still around in our midst out to pick their next victims.

We heard that all of the victims were into drugs and may have just become part of statistics in the current war on drugs, killed by vigilantes or by people with whom they had an illegal drug transaction in the past.

Wasn’t the security personnel in Dagupan already beefed up with soldiers from the Philippine Army and from Regional Public Safety Battalion?

The presence of additional troops manning checkpoints would have made it difficult for the motorcycle-riding criminals to operate in the streets with impunity and make our citizens cower in fear. But they were not around.

In this war against illegal drugs, it is good to hear that Sitio Aling as well as Sitio Silungan are now cleared of illegal drugs. At least, the supply of illegal drugs have been lessened. but the police will have to make a resolve to clear drugs off the entire village of Pantal, where Aling is located and Bonuan Binloc where Silungan is only a small part. – Leonardo Micua

WANTED: MORE TRUTHS — The second congressional district seat will be vacant in the 2019 elections. Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil will be out by then.

This early, some congressional wannabes are already salivating for the position. Meanwhile, Bataoil is visiting broadcast stations explaining his accomplishments and some thoughts about current issues.

Will Bataoil eye the mayoralty post in his hometown Lingayen, or opt for a provincial position, say vice governor? That remains to be seen but for sure PolBat, as he is called by the media, will surely seek an elective post after he graduates from his three successive terms as congressman.

Bataoil is very lucky. It was during his stint as regional director of the Philippine National Police Region 1 office when the biggest shabu laboratory was discovered in Barangay Binmotobot, Naguilian, La Union in 2009. His name was never dragged into it. His name never appeared in any investigation, as far as I can recall.

On the other hand, Naguilian Mayor Reynaldo Flores who was mayor then during the lab discovery and is the mayor again, is facing the toughest challenge in his personal and political life as no less than President Duterte mentioned his name, not just once, for being reportedly involved in illegal drugs.

P/Supt. Dionicio Borromeo, then Dagupan City police chief, was pinned down as alleged protector and is now reportedly in the New Bilibid Prison after the Court of Appeals, in a July 11, 2016 decision, affirmed his conviction by the RTC Branch 67 in La Union in 2013 as coddler and protector of illegal drugs of the Binmotobot clandestine laboratory.

But the bigger question hounding the inquisitive minds of people is, “Were there no bigger government or police officials behind the Binmotobot shabu lab?”

That’s impossible, I think.

Being a bemedalled police officer and an honorable congressman, I wonder if PolBat knows them, and if he does, will he ever bother to tell President Digong their identities?

This, I believe, merits a “throwback” investigation by the Duterte administration.  More should be unearthed about illegal drugs operations in Region 1.—Tita Roces

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