BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – Who among the local public officials and employees of Dumangas, Iloilo are using illegal drugs?
To answer this question, Sangguniang Bayan ex-officio member and Liga ng mga Barangay (LIGA) president Ronald Golez has proposed an ordinance requiring them to undergo a mandatory drug testing at random.
“This will give them no time to prepare, unlike in scheduled tests where subjects may quit taking illegal drugs for a few days and come out drug-free,” said Golez on Panay News’ radio program “Reklamo Publiko” on DyOK Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo yesterday.
The proposed ordinance had passed first reading.
“I thought of filing the ordinance because we at the LIGA cannot impose disciplinary actions against erring barangay officials. Of course, when passed, the ordinance will also cover all municipal officials and employees, including job hires,” said Golez, also a former mayor of the town.
Golez proposed the said ordinance amid the vigorous anti-illegal drug operations of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) which have successfully conducted apprehensions in Dumangas.
Among those apprehended were Barangay Captain Teopisto Gomez, 56, of Barangay Calao and 63-year-old Councilman Rolando Domejes Sr. of Barangay Pulao.
These two elected officials were eventually suspended from their posts.
“It saddens us that a barangay captain and a barangay councilman are involved in illegal drugs. This could become a big social problem,” said Golez.
Gomez was arrested on May 2 while Domejes on Aug. 21.
Gomez was caught with shabu and drug paraphernalia, as well as a caliber .40 and M16 rifle. Recovered from the Domejes’ house were three sachets of suspected shabu, seven plastic sachets containing shabu residue, buy-bust money worth P500 and various drug paraphernalia.
Golez said once the ordinance is approved, the town would create a task group to administer the drug test and identify which barangay or group of employees should undergo such.
Meanwhile, Mayor Rolando Distura warned barangay officials to stay away from illegal drugs.
The municipal government has allotted a reward of P10,000 for every arrested drug pusher.
Distura gave credit to Dumangas’ barangay information network for Gomez’s arrest.
December last year, information from the network led to the neutralization of Iloilo’s most wanted man, robbery suspect Eliseo Mabayag, in Barangay Rosario.
Distura created the barangay information network to combat drug trafficking and criminalities in his municipality.
Barangay Tambobo has been declared the “first drug-free barangay in Dumangas” by the Iloilo Police Provincial Office.
The next target for clearing is Barangay Jardin./PN
