FOUR Cebu mayors are among the 45 charged by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for their failure to create the Anti-Drugs Abuse Council (Adac) in their respective localities.
DILG Cebu Director Jerome Gonzales told SunStar Cebu that he doesn’t know the identity of the four mayors, as he has not yet received official communication from their central office in Manila.
Gonzales theorized that the basis in filing cases against the mayors was an audit done last year where some local government units(LGU) were found to have lapses in the creation of Adacs.
However, Gonzales said they started the audit for 2018, which will be completed next month. He said that last year, all the LGUs had complied with the requirements in the creation of ADAC and he expects charges against Cebu mayors will be dismissed.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año also 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, three mayors from Agusan del Norte, Laguna and Quezon provinces, two from Cagayan and Nueva Vizcaya, and one from Eastern Samar 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 in the government’s war on drugs, as barangay officials are more aware of the activities and people in their communities. (Third Anne Peralta- Malonzo of SunStar Philippines, EOB)