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Thursday, July 10, 2003
IBP: House owner must agree to spray-painting
By Ben O. Tesiorna and Gwen P. Posadas
DAVAO -- Spray-painting homes of suspected drugs users and pushers is perfectly legal as long as authorities get the consent of house owners, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in Davao City said.
Some members of the City Council, however, hold a different view, believing that the move of police to write anti-drug messages on the homes of suspected drug offenders in Bucana, Boulevard and Isla Verde may be unlawful.
Lawyer Carlos Isagani Zarate, IBP Davao president, said authorities should first secure the consent of the owner of any residence they wished to mark with the "Alsa Droga (Anti-drug campaign) supporter" sign.
Zarate said without prior consent the authorities could be charged with vandalism and trespassing.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 11 director, Supt. Wilkins Villanueva, claimed that residents of three barangays they visited on Tuesday welcomed with open arms the spray-painting activity.
"What we did was unprecedented kasi nakita ng mga tao na walang pabor-pabor yung aming (because the people saw that we did not discriminate against anybody during the) activity. And the people themselves supported it, sila pa nga mismo ang nag-spray paint sa kanilang mga bahay (they even spray-painted their homes themselves)," Villanueva said in Wednesday's Ugnayan sa Royal Mandaya Hotel.
Villanueva said what they did was knock on the houses of those suspected of involvement in illegal drugs to inform them or their relatives they are in the watch list of the PDEA.
He claimed they did not threaten or coerce the drug suspects, but justified their move by saying it was high time that people support and take an active role in the campaign against illegal drugs.
More areas
Reacting to the spray-painting, Councilors Isidro Ungab and Beethoven Orcullo said the Supreme Court had ruled it was illegal for then Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim to mark the houses of suspected drug offenders with a warning for people to beware the home of the pusher.
But Davao City police chief Conrado Laza insisted their action is not at all similar to Lim's, as they only painted the "anti-drug supporter" sign on the homes of drug suspects.
"Anong masama doon (What's wrong with that)? What we are doing is a drive, we are persuading the people to support the campaign," Laza said Wednesday.
Villanueva agreed with Laza and advised critics to keep their mouth shut if they have no plans of helping in the anti-drug campaign.
Laza and Villanueva led Tuesday's inspection on the homes of suspected drug offenders.
They initially visited Bucana, Boulevard and Isla Verde but plan to visit more areas identified as hotbeds of drug users and pushers.
Not malicious
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte backed the police's move, saying he did not consider it a malicious act especially because there was no opposition from residents.
"It only connotes one thing. That they are supporting the Alsa Droga (Anti-drug) campaign," Duterte said.
The City Government on Wednesday earmarked P3 million for the construction of a rehabilitation center for drug pushers and users who turn themselves in.
After authorities intensified their campaign against illegal drugs, several self-confessed users and pushers surrendered.
President Arroyo earlier gave police a three-month deadline to solve the problem on illegal drugs in the country.
After the rounds conducted by police officers within the areas of Sta. Ana, San Pedro and Talomo police stations on Tuesday, Laza said he will do the same in other places in the city to convince suspected drug pushers to surrender.
Duterte has given monthly assistance to those who surrendered to help them find a new source of livelihood, noting that they might have been forced to engage in the illegal activity because of poverty. Sun.Star Davao
(July 10, 2003 issue)
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