BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
ILOILO City – One hundred and forty barangay captains here have submitted lists of drug personalities in their barangays while 40 have not, according to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 6 director Paul Ledesma.
This city has 180 barangays.
One of the 40 barangay captains heads Bakhaw in Mandurriao district where most drug dealers get their supply, said Ledesma.
The barangay captain of Bakhaw is Remia Gregory. She could not be reached for comment as of press time.
Ledesma said Brgy. Bakhaw is one of the two favorite sources of shabu. The other is Brgy. Desamparados in Jaro district.
The barangay captain of Desamparados is Noeli Hablo.
He wondered why the 40 barangay captains could not submit the names of drug personalities.
“May ara gid ‘ya mga barangay captains nga tig-a ulo. Ambot kon nga-a. Nahimo gani sang iban, sila ‘ya indi haw?” Ledesma said.
PDEA-6 has already finished conducting anti-drug symposia in the city’s 180 barangays. Among others, it taught barangay officials how to go about identifying and listing suspected drug personalities.
Meanwhile, one of the residents of Brgy. Benedicto in Jaro who refused to be identified admitted he is a drug user and got his supply from Brgy. Desamparados.
A construction worker, he has two children. His wife works in Manila. He said he only uses, not pushes, drugs.
The Jaro police chief, Chief Insp. Rhea Santos, admitted that Brgy. Desamparados is among the main sources of illegal drugs in the city.
“We continue conducting drug operations in Brgy. Desamparados and other areas where there are drug personalities,” she said.
“Barangay captains have to do their part in fighting illegal drugs. Dapat may isog sila nga magtudlo kun sin-o pushers sa ila area (They should be brave enough to unmask the drug pushers),” said Ledesma.
“Failure to perform their duty would be tantamount to gross negligence, he warned.
Under Department of Interior and Local Government Memorandum Circular 2009-09, barangay captains were to identify drug-affected house clusters, work places, streets, purok and sitio where delivery, sale or use of illegal drugs was being conducted.
It also required all barangay councils to appropriate a substantial portion of their annual budgets to assist or enhance the enforcement of Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act, giving priority to educational program, prevention and rehabilitation of drug dependents.
Failure to perform these would be tantamount to gross negligence or dereliction of duty on the part of the barangay captains and officials concerned./PN
