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Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Barangay officials may be required to take drug tests
By Aurea A. Gerundio
ASSOCIATION of Barangay Councils (ABC) president Amilbangsa T. Manding Tuesday passed a resolution requiring all barangay officials to submit to a drug test following reports that there are some barangay officials involved in the use and sale of illegal drugs.
Manding believes the drug test will, once and for all, clear the names of other barangay officials who are being dragged into the controversy.
"The only way I could challenge my co-barangay officials is for themselves to submit to a drug test so that we will know who among us are drug users," Manding said in a privileged speech.
Manding said expenses for the required drug test can be charged from the barangay funds.
Meanwhile, Councilor Salvador V. Caingles Sr., who is said to be a relative of the acting barangay captain arrested together with her boyfriend in a buy-bust operation by the police, clarified to the council that the same barangay official was already cleared from the use of illegal drugs.
Earlier, two barangay captains were in favor of the proposed drug test for barangay officials.
Benjamin Badon, barangay captain of Matina Aplaya, said he has already planned to require his council members to undergo the drug testing.
Badon claimed there are no drug addicts residing in his barangay.
He said they also continue implementing curfew for minors in his barangay starting at 9 p.m.
Barangay Captain Eduardo Jose Vergara of 20-B in Bajada, meanwhile, said the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) must mandate the drug testing for barangay officials.
Vergara and Badon, however, said they were not aware regarding Manding's earlier pronouncement that there are some barangay officials being monitored by the ABC for their alleged involvement in illegal drugs.
On the other hand, Manding challenged the Davao City police for a thorough investigation on the killing of barangay captain Sabino Villarte Jr. Friday last week.
"I do not like to be misunderstood that the killing of my co-barangay captain was drug-related. After all, the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) ruled out that the killing was drug-related. We leave the matter now to the police and the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) to solve the case as soon as possible," Manding said.
(June 9, 2004 issue)
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