The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 will investigate whether any aspiring political candidates have links to illegal drugs.
Leia Alcantara, spokesperson for PDEA 7, said the agency is considering the possibility that illegal drug syndicates may collaborate with or support candidates to maintain their operations.
“Because that is one of the things drug syndicates really exploit—they tie up with politicians whom they will support,” Alcantara said during an interview with a Cebu City news and commentary program on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.
“If the politician wins, it’s like they become indebted to them,” she added.
However, Alcantara clarified that PDEA 7 has yet to receive reports of any candidate receiving election funds from drug syndicates.
On Saturday, Oct. 12, former Cebu City Police Office chief Royina Garma apologized to the families affected by the drug war during the House Quad Committee hearing.
Garma, a retired police colonel, broke into tears while apologizing on behalf of her personnel for the wrongs committed against victims of the drug campaign during the Duterte administration from 2016 to 2022.
Influence
Alcantara said drug syndicates are suspected of influencing politicians by either directly providing funding or acting through third-party sponsors.
“There are two ways. The politician is either aware that they are receiving funding from a syndicate or drug personality and willingly accepts it, or the politician is unaware because the funding is channeled through another person,” Alcantara said in Cebuano.
However, she said there is no difference, as the funding still comes from illegal drugs.
“That’s why we’re looking into this now,” Alcantara added.
She also said PDEA 7 classifies aspiring public officials linked to illegal drugs as high-value targets because of their role in advancing the drug trade.
Last month, the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Drug Enforcement Group said it is investigating several local leaders for alleged connections to drug syndicates.
Drug-cleared barangays
Meanwhile, Alcantara said Cebu City’s commitment to the war on drugs continues, with 33 out of its 80 barangays now considered drug-cleared.
“Here in Cebu City, we’re united with the local government and are excited to see more barangays cleared,” she said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
Alcantara said the City proved to its constituents that it can eradicate illegal drug activity despite being highly urbanized.
“In the past, if you said a barangay in Cebu City was drug-cleared, it seemed impossible. But look at where we are now — 33 barangays are drug-cleared,” she said.
“Cebu City has proven it. We are a great example that barangays in highly urbanized cities can be cleared,” she added.
The 33 drug-cleared barangays in Cebu City are San Jose, Cambinocot, Kasambagan, Zapatera, Budlaan, Kamagayan, Agsungot, Binaliw, Tabunan, Punta Princesa, Kalubihan, Adlaon and Basak Pardo.
Buot Taup, Kinasang-an, Lusaran, San Antonio, Pamutan, Parian, Sudlon 1, Sudlon 2, Toong, Sto. Niño, Sapangdaku, Sinsin, Bacayan, Guba, Malubog, Pit-os, Paril, Mabini, Lusaran and Taptap were also declared drug-cleared.
Opposition to drug war
Cebu-based labor group Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo-Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA Sugbo-KMU) expressed strong opposition to the current administration’s war on drugs, saying it should instead address low wages, inaccessible education, and healthcare, which lead to poverty.
“This inhumane distribution, deprivation and corruption of budgets have only added to the difficulties faced by ordinary Filipinos, leading to deeper poverty that drives them to engage in illegal activities,” AMA Sugbo-KMU said in a statement on Saturday.
The group added that the state should target drug lords and sources of drugs, not just small-time or ordinary people who sell drugs because of a lack of decent jobs.
AMA Sugbo-KMU chairman Jaime Paglinawan said in an interview on Sunday, Oct. 13, that if people had decent jobs and sufficient income, no one would need to sell drugs.
The group is pushing for a P1,200 per day minimum wage in the private sector and a P33,000 monthly salary for government employees.
Paglinawan said investing in education and promoting national industrialization are key to addressing poverty and unemployment, particularly among the youth.
Call for accountability
AMA Sugbo-KMU strongly supports the ongoing International Criminal Court investigation, calling it a critical step in ensuring those responsible, including former President Rodrigo Duterte, are held accountable for killings during the drug war.
The investigation by the Committee on Dangerous Drugs underscores the urgent need for accountability from both the Duterte and Marcos administrations for the victims of unlawful deaths.
AMA Sugbo-KMU continues to stand in solidarity with the families of extrajudicial killing victims who testified during the session, representing the voices and lives lost to the state’s brutal operations.