SAN SIMON - "As far as my knowledge is concerned, there are no factories manufacturing illegal drugs in my town."
Thus said San Simon Mayor Leonora Wong in response to the claims of Fourth District Representative Juan Pablo "Rimpy" Bondoc regarding the "nameless" factories operating along the stretch of Quezon road here which are allegedly manufacturing prohibited drugs.
Bondoc earlier expressed his desire to legally investigate the manufacturing plants which are "possibly conducting illegal activities inside, citing its lack of incoming employees, particularly during mornings, but are incinerating materials at their backyards during night time."
But Wong said that companies there are mostly steel manufacturers that are all registered but do not post signages since they are just manufacturers and not retailers.
"Our huge investors here are just manufacturers. They are not required to promote their products since they have their distribution offices, their retailing in Metro Manila. And the reason why they don't prefer to post signages, usually with contact numbers, is to avoid prank callers, especially NPAs who might harass them," she said.
Wong explained that plants do their operations at night to avoid high electricity charges which are usually expensive during mornings due to high usage.
She also belied Bondoc's earlier claim on the factories' lack of incoming employees during mornings since preparation of materials that would be manufactured in the evening are being prepared earlier.
"Their operation is 24 hours. Preparations during morning and operations at night meaning they have shifting employees contrary to our congressman's earlier claim," she stressed.
She added that most of the employees of the plants are from the municipality which boosted their employment rate.
Wong lamented that the solon must have coordinated with local officials first and secure a court order before releasing statements to public.
"If he has that thinking, he should have reached out to us and we could have followed a legal process and raid the factories together with our police. He cannot just mumble words out without proper proof," Wong said.
"Assuming that his conclusions are true, he has given drug makers ample time to flee before he can even implement his operations," she added.
Wong urged Bondoc to meet with the local officials and discuss the matter to address and resolve the issue which has reportedly affected the economic activities of the municipality.
However, Wong said that the local government is set to provide signages to the said factories with a note indicating every factory is a drug-free zone.
She disclosed that most of the plants in their jurisdiction have already volunteered to conduct drug tests on their employees even before the issues came out.
Visit 'sketchy' factories
Meanwhile, village chiefs from barangays along Quezon Road expressed disappointment over the statements of the solon, saying their municipality is not doing "dirty business" with anyone.
Barangay San Isidro Captain Randy Buas said that Bondoc has allegedly "hurt" the economic status of the municipality, particularly his village which covers most of the Quezon Road portion.
"Siyempre apektado yung ekonomiya, yung mga investors namin na kung saan umaasa talaga kami ng kabuhayan naming mga Simonians, yung mga empleyado ng mga kumpanya pati ang aming tax revenues," he said.
Barangay San Pablo Propio Chief Benny De Guzman urged the solon to personally visit the factories to witness their legitimate operations inside.
He disclosed that as barangay captain, he regularly visits the plants to monitor their activities and ensure their legitimacy.
He also assured that illegal drugs are not welcome in their municipality citing the intensified drive of the local government against it.