Punchline
Cong Spines a drug personality?
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
I HAVE no doubt Pangasinenses woke up last Thursday morning more shocked than surprised to find the names of Cong Spines, his administrator Raffy Baraan and Board Member Raul Sison included in PDU30’s recent martrix of drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison.
What left many even more confused, if not completely dumbfounded, was the revelation that they were alleged to have been in conspiracy with then DOJ Sec. Leila De Lima. The question uppermost in most minds: “ Did we miss anything in the last 9 years??”
In the case of former DOJ Usec Toti Baraan (Raffy’s brother), his inclusion was actually anti-climatic since his name was already mentioned casually early on by PDU30. Also, whether he’s guilty as alleged, implicating him was half-expected by mere association with Sen. De Lima as her direct subordinate.
But when the lady senator initially reacted with a narrative of her role in investigating then Guv Spines in the black sand mining, his supporters felt vindicated and relieved. “PDU30 got it wrong this time!” their confused minds concluded.
But the road to vindication for him, Raffy and BM Sison will admittedly be long and winding. Unfortunately, for Pangasinan’s prominent sons, unless and until PDU30 accepts their explanations, the circumstances that belie the allegations that will exculpate them, they will have to accept that they are now collateral damage.
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THE IRONY. Meanwhile, here’s my own initial take of the inclusion of Cong. Spines in the matrix.
In his last term, The PUNCH continuously badgered Guv Spines to do more to combat the proliferating drug trade in the country. I could see some credible response albeit minimally, and I soon found out why when one day he asked me for a meeting. And we met. (In fairness to him, he never did try to ask me to go slow on my reports on the drug trade at anytime.)
He said he’d like to do more to stop the proliferating drug trade but he said his hands were tied. The Aquino government refused to assign a permanent police provincial director, only temporary assignments with no clear accountability. That was true. The province till then already had 8 acting provincial directors over a two-year period.
I sensed his deep frustration being held accountable for a responsibility he had no full authority over.
Aware that he was the Aquino administration’s political nemesis, he asked me to intercede for him by asking then DILG Sec. Mar Roxas to finally appoint a permanent police director of his choice, no longer the Guv’s choice as mandated by law. He (Guv Spines) promised more results if he can work with someone who can be made equally accountable like him. That was valid. So I agreed to help.
I sent Mr. Roxas text messages about it but I was never favored with a response. I had messages relayed through members of Mr. Roxas’ inner circle, the pleas went unheeded. It was then, that I shared Guv Spines’ frustration. In fact, campaign period came and went, Mr. Roxas never acknowledged the drug problem in the province.
Perhaps, if Mr. Roxas had acceded to Guv Spines’ request, and his chosen provincial director appointee soon confessed that the Guv was playing games with drug lords, I would be the first to believe that Guv Spines was behind the drug trade in the province. But that didn’t happen. Regrettably, the Aquino government left him (and us) to fend for ourselves in the campaign vs. drugs.
So I do find it hard to believe that Cong Spines could be a player in the New Bilibid drug trade. His detractors may say I don’t know any better but I do know what came between me and Guv Spines in the campaign vs. drugs.
And it is not in his defense that I say I find the allegation ironic in the face of what I knew he did for the province’s youth, providing support for their development as competitive athletes, inculcating deeper appreciation for culture and education, and better health care for them.
So, I do earnestly need to know what his detractors believe they know that I don’t.
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WALKING THE TALK. The report that Federation head of Liga ng mga Barangay, Sta. Barbara’s Kapitana Jinky Zaplan, acted quickly to move the organization in step with the government’s war on drugs is encouraging.
Her resolution urging all barangay officials in Pangasinan to take drug tests is unprecedented perhaps in the country, following the example set by her predecessor at the Liga, now Guv Pogi. He was the first governor to require provincial employees to take the drug test, now Kapitana Jinky upped the ante.
Then Guv Pogi already started to walk the talk before his detractors can say – puro talk lang. He took the test last week. So will Kapitana Jinky not be far behind? However, I have yet to get a report that she had already required barangay officials in her town to take the tests. Can she walk faster than she can talk? (Here’s where she can start: Barangay Banzal in her town is not only notoriously and seriously drug-affected but a gambling den is also operated regularly by its barangay officials. Also, the provincial police already have the information that one town cop is a high value target and operates in the barangays).
So let’s take this closer to home, Kapitana. Let’s see your fellow kapitans in your own turf show the way to the rest of the kapitans in the province.
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TAKING IT TO THE KAPITANS. It’d be a great thing for Pangasinenses whose 80% of barangays are drug affected if Ms. Zaplan can render regular weekly updates on how many of her members have actually followed her lead in the war on drugs.
Needless to say, how her constituency in the federation of kapitans respond to her leadership will expectedly be crucial in the province’s bid to become drug-free in the truest sense.
The more barangay officials take the test, the safer Pangasinenses will feel.
If she thinks she will still need a lot of backing, take it from PNP chief Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa. His words:
“I’ve been getting reports of village leaders who are uncooperative when it comes to TokHang. They even question it. So I’ll submit a report to the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government and to the President, of course, so they know the status of the village leaders who refuse to cooperate in our anti-drug campaign,” he said.
“I don’t know the reasons why they don’t cooperate. It’s either they’re on the take, they’re protecting someone, they get money from the illegal drug business in their area, or they’re just afraid because the barangay elections are near and they might lose votes.”
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