Monday, November 13, 2006
Editorial: Funding aid
THE City Council apparently voiced its displeasure over the seeming lack of progress by the regional office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 10 in the war against drugs.
So it wasn't surprising that they would react rather strongly to a request by the regional PDEA-10 office for additional funding for their operations.
According to one committee meeting, the PDEA-10 agents were required to submit an accomplishment report to support their petition for funding assistance.
Funding assistance for various national government agencies from local government units (LGUs) is nothing new since the agencies are expected to coordinate with the local officials in whatever functions they perform whether it be peace-keeping, social services, and the like.
Along with the funding assistance however is the grumbling that had to be dealt with by the national government agencies by local officials whose vision may not exactly coincide with their mandated goals.
Specifically the clashes between local and national government officials occur over what constitutes stable peace and order in their localities. In the case of PDEA-10, it had something to do with the arrest of small- and big- time drug dealers.
There were unconfirmed reports that two Taiwanese drug manufacturers got out of prison without so much as a say-so from the local government officials. The two Taiwanese were said to have figured in a drug raid at a shabu warehouse in Alubijid town, Misamis Oriental last year.
How they were able to escape one can only speculate but suffice it to say they managed to do so with some choice connections. In any case this report has to be verified by the PDEA-10 office and fast.
The PDEA-10 office may also want to consider Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's report that the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan continue to be the transit points for drugs coming in from Central Mindanao.
The report cited many sources and local officials in the city and in Iligan have denied there were any major drug shipments crossing their paths. Still the PDEA-10 office has yet to come out with a substantial report refuting Duterte's claims.
That's the kind of output expected from them by the local officials. But with nothing of the sort coming from them, a request for funding assistance may be left hanging by the City Council.
Clearly if they want some funding assistance the PDEA-10 office has to show that they're working for it.
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Manila. (November 13, 2006 issue)
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