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Friday, November 19, 2004
Mandaue City mayor on hot seat today
CEBU CITY -- Five months into his final term at Mandaue City's helm, Mayor Thadeo Ouano will face a congressional panel Friday to convince them he did not protect or even know about a shabu laboratory found in his city last September.
While the lab was not the first in the country, this is the first time a local executive was invited to a House inquiry as a result of such a raid, said Cebu Provincial Board (PB) Member Victor Maambong.
"Sagrado intawn ang congressional inquiry. If he is negligent, then charge him before the Office of the Ombudsman or let the Department of Interior and Local Government handle the case," said Maambong, who represents the sixth district, including Mandaue, in the PB.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia commended Ouano for his courage in volunteering to testify in the congressional inquiry, despite perceptions he is being dragged on account of politics.
"Well, if he has nothing to hide, he has nothing to be afraid of. The truth will set him free," Garcia said.
New penalty
The governor also wondered why local executives from other local governments with similar drug-related cases were not subjected to the same inquiry.
Maambong, for his part, said he hopes the inquiry will lead to effective legislation, instead of wasting the lawmakers' time and people's taxes.
"We are paying them P200 million a year. Usik kaayo ang ilang panahon diha kay mahal raba kaayo ilang oras. The question is, will each inquiry lead to good laws that have a direct impact on people's lives?" Maambong added.
While Mayor Ouano will take center stage in today's congressional inquiry, the House committee on dangerous drugs will also ask for opinions on a bill that penalizes owners for negligence, if their warehouses are used as shabu labs.
The House inquiry, which stemmed from the Sept. 24 discovery of a shabu lab in Barangay Umapad, will push through at the Metropolitan Cebu Water District auditorium Friday.
Negligence
The whole-day hearing will start at 9 a.m.
Its primary aim is to find whether there was negligence on the part of Ouano and department heads of Mandaue City Hall, or if any of them participated in the illegal operation as "principals, accessories or coddlers."
But Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south), the committee vice chairman, said they will begin by tackling House Bill 2537, filed by Rep. Oscar Gozos (Bata-ngas, 4th district), by soliciting opinions from editors of local dailies and radio commentators.
The bill seeks punishment for "a negligent lessor (owner) of a building, warehouse, or any edifice found to be used in the manufacture or storage of dangerous drugs."
It proposes a penalty of 12 years and one day to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of P100,000 to P500,000 on a negligent owner or his authorized representative.
If the bill becomes a law, this will amend Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which also stemmed from a series of hearings.
18 shabu labs
Cuenco said they will expand the scope of Gozos' bill by including negligent local government officials and building, health or sanitary inspectors.
The second part of the inquiry is the report from Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director Anselmo Avenido about the status of the shabu lab case.
The PDEA has filed a criminal case against 11 men for illegal manufacturing of illegal drugs before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Mandaue City.
Cuenco said that Avenido is also expected to brief the committee on the PDEA accomplishments, especially the dismantling of shabu factories in Luzon.
Last year's PDEA report showed that it already dismantled 11 clandestine laboratories and seized P3.8 billion worth of illegal drugs, controlled precursors, chemicals and lab equipment.
According to Cuenco, the PDEA already busted 18 laboratories this year, including the shabu factory in Barangay Umapad and the two "shabu" warehouses in Looc and Paknaan.
Local line-up
"A United Nations report even stated that the Philippines is now one of the three biggest exporters of shabu in Asia, after China and Myanmmar," he said.
Aside from Ouano, Cuenco said the committee, chaired by Rep. Roque Ablan (Ilocos Norte, 1st district) will also invite the barangay captains in Umapad, Paknaan and Looc.
Also expected to show up in today's hearing are former Mandaue City police chief Alex Castro, the administrator, legal officer, city engineer, treasurer and assessor in Mandaue City.
"If they won't show up, they will lose their chance to explain their side, and that's their problem. But next time we can subpoena them," Cuenco said.
Cuenco earlier warned that the committee can recommend administrative sanctions before the Department of Interior and Local Government if local officials in Mandaue City cannot explain their side well on the existence of the shabu lab. (MBG/GC)
(November 19, 2004 issue)
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