HE FINALLY blew his top.
The head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Northern Mindanao (PDEA-10) hit back at Barangay 23 chief Jaime Frias II for disputing the agency's claims that his barangay is among the top five seriously affected by illicit drugs.
PDEA-10 regional director Wilkins Villanueva said Frias failed to address the illegal drug problem in his village, one of the smallest of Cagayan de Oro’s 80 barangays with an area of six hectares and a population of over 1,000.
"Huwag niyang gawing politika ang PDEA. Huwag niyang sabihing tanga ang PDEA. Tutukan ko siya, humanda siya. He wants it to be a personal war against me I will," Villanueva said.
(Keep politics out of PDEA. I will focus on him. He should watch out.)
Villanueva claimed that Frias did not assist the anti-narcotics agency when agents swooped down on the village’s drug dens in 2015.
"Wala siyang tinulong kahit tubig at wala siyang ginawa doon effort namin yun," Villanueva told the media during the press conference on Thursday, May 3.
(He did not give any assistance, not even water to drink.)
The PDEA-10 scored big when they arrested more than 20 drug suspects and seized more than P1 million worth of prohibited drugs in three simultaneous service of search warrants in Barangay 23 in 2015.
"Isa ito sa pinakamarami naming nakuha. Tinanggal namin lahat na drug den sa kanyang area," Villanueva added.
(It was one of our biggest hauls. We dismantled all the drug dens in his area.)
The village has a Barangay Anti-drug Abuse Council (Badac), but the PDEA regional chief said Frias has not been attending the anti-drug abuse meetings.
Villanueva alleged that Frias also disregarded those drug dependents who came forward to seek reformation because the barangay failed to create a Community-based Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Program (CBRP).
"Hindi man lang siya umaatend ng kahit anong anti-drug abuse meeting kagawad lang panay pinapadala niya tapos ngayon sabihin niya may ginagawa siya," Villanueva said.
"May CBRP ba siya. Sabihin nating walang pushers may ginagawa ba siya sa mga users niya? Kung wala aba anong ginagawa mo?" he added.
(He has a CBRP. Granted there are no pushers in his barangay. What about the users? Has he done anything about the users?)
Villanueva, the author of the barangay drug clearing program, said he wants Northern Mindanao to be the first region to be declared drug-cleared as he seeks help from village officials.
It can be recalled that Frias took to social media and granted media interviews to slam the PDEA-10 after his barangay was tagged among the top five highly-affected by drugs along with barangays Carmen, Bugo, Bonbon and Lumbia.
Frias said the assertions of PDEA-10 are difficult to believe.
"I cannot deny that the barangay was infested with drugs but being in the top 5 of seriously affected barangays, I cannot accept it," Frias had said.