THE PHILIPPINE Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is set to release its watchlist of barangay officials involved in illegal drugs within the week.
“Finally, I will publish the list of barangay officials involved in drugs. It will be published within the week. There are 216 of them and that is based on the PRRD (President Rodrigo R. Duterte) list,” PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino said during the launch of Balay Silangan on April 25.
Mr. Aquino noted that the list was validated by PDEA and three other agencies, namely the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and is similar to the “narco-list” earlier mentioned by Mr. Duterte.
“As of this time, I’m still working on the adjudication process, and that’s the reason why we can’t file cases against them yet,” Mr. Aquino said, stressing the need for a case build-up to file an airtight case.
BADAC NON-COMPLIANCE
Meanwhile, the filing of charges against barangay officials who have failed to establish a functioning Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) in their communities should forewarn candidates in the May elections, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) said.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced last week that it is preparing to file cases against non-compliant local officials.
The BADAC, required under a DDB directive, is tasked to plan, implement, and evaluate programs on drug abuse prevention at the barangay level.
“Recent announcements made by DILG should serve as a reminder to the candidates running for the 2018 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections,” the DDB said in a statement on Wednesday.
“As we continue to put communities in the center of all anti-drug efforts, we need barangay officials who will serve as our partners in advancing drug prevention and control efforts in the communities,” DDB Chairman Catalino S. Cuy said. — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

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