ERMITA barangay captain Felicisimo “Imok” Rupinta denied the accusation of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 that he did not cooperate with them in their recent anti-illegal drug operation in his area.
Rupinta said the operatives of PDEA 7 never went to him to seek assistance.
He said a barangay councilor, a tanod and an administrative employee from Barangay Suba even offered to help them in their operation but the PDEA operatives told them they are not needed.
“It’s so unfair for them to tell that we did not cooperate. We offered help. I even want to offer myself as a witness (to the operation) but they did not inform us,” said Rupinta.
Rupinta suspects that politics is behind the accusation thrown against him since he is a known supporter of Team Rama.
“I think they just want to exclude us in their operation so they can shame us,” he said.
The drug raid conducted by PDEA last Sunday resulted to the arrest of 13 suspected drug users in Ermita.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña, for his part, accused Rupinta of being involved in the illegal drug trade and said the village chief he is just using politics as a reason so he will not be held accountable.
“There’s good politics and bad politics. The abuses that’s going on in Ermita has been a headache through the years,” he said.
The mayor commended PDEA for its successful operation in Ermita.
This, he said, is the reason why he decided to give PDEA a monthly incentive and a vehicle from the City Government.
Osmeña said the law enforcer’s fight against illegal drugs is more than a simple “house cleaning” because they are dealing with the “most dangerous” people.
He said their jobs are made even more difficult because the criminals are being defended by human rights advocates.