IT is not for the Department of Interior and Local Government but for the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to file a case of negligence of duty against Barangay Binloc Chairman Pedro Gonzales and other barangay chairmen similarly situated, on account of the his failure to report the operation of a shabu den in his barangay.

This was the reaction of Dagupan City Interior and Local Government Director Roderick Dawis to a call that he should initiate filing of cases against Gonzales after a shabu den in Barangay Binloc was raided by combined police operatives including PDEA.

Dawis said it is PDEA that has the evidence, hence, the filing of the administrative case should be initiated by PDEA, not his office.

The city DILG officer clarified that PDEA can only file a complaint for negligence against the barangay chairmen in their capacity as heads of the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC).

Dawis also pointed out that he heard Gonzales over the radio questioning the suggestion that he should be cited for negligence although he sends lists of suspected drug pushers in his village to the police.

In that radio report, Gonzales clarified that during the raid by composite team of lawmen st Sitio Silongan, he was in Mangaldan and sent his barangay councilmen instead.

He also challenged the police to carefully study the footages of the Close Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) they confiscated from Sitio Silongan and to identify the persons that had been getting protection money from drug dealers.

At the same time, the Gonzales reportedly said he can not be accused of not coordinating with the PDEA because he does not see them in his village and if they go to Binloc, they come incognito.

Meanwhile, Lasip Grande barangay chairman Rodolfo Siapno shared the thought that some barangay captains of Dagupan could be receiving threats from drug lords, which is why some cannot be very active in the campaign against illegal drugs.

He cited a text message sent to his mobile phone by an unidentified person believed to be the leader of the drug dealers in his village threatening him with harm if he does not stop his campaign against them.

Siapno said before he received the text message, he already sent four drug pushers in his village to jail and has not slowed down in his fight against illegal drugs in his barangay. (Leonardo Micua)

Back to Homepage

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments