AT LEAST 45 mayors are facing administrative charges for their failure to create the Anti-Illegal Drugs Abuse Council (Adac) in their respective localities.
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año filed the charges against 15 mayors from Bicol, particularly in Albay, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon provinces; seven from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm), specifically in the provinces of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, and Lanao del Sur; five from the provinces of Abra and Ifugao in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and in the province of Palawan; and four from Cebu.
Three mayors from Agusan del Norte, Laguna and Quezon provinces, two from Cagayan and Nueva Vizcaya, and one from Eastern Samar have also been charged before the Office of the Ombudsman.
They are facing charges of misconduct and dereliction of duty in relation to Section 60, or grounds for disciplinary action, under the Local Government Code.
Año said 20 mayors were charged on March 14, and charges for the 25 others were filed Wednesday, March 20.
DILG Assistant Secretary Ricojudge Janvier Echiverri said they will file charges against 35 more mayors over “zero functionality Adacs” in the coming days.
He said 800 more will face similar complaints for “low functionality Adacs.” The list includes the 46 government-elected officials who were recently named by President Rodrigo Duterte due to their alleged involvement in illegal drugs.
The 46 narco-politicians named by Duterte were charged before the Office of the Ombudsman with grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, conduct unbecoming of a public officer, and gross neglect of duty.
“Despite several directives from the DILG and the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), the concerned mayors still failed or refused to comply with the said orders and their towns are among those that are without an organized and functional Adac,” said Año.
Earlier, Año said local Adacs play a critical role in coordination and proper monitoring of drug-related incidents within the jurisdiction of the local government unit, especially the barangays.
The DILG said that Adac, particularly in the barangay level, is the first line of defense of the government’s war on drugs, as barangay officials are more aware of the activities and people in their communities. (SunStar Philippines)