MANILA — Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Officer-in-Charge Catalino Cuy said that drop boxes in communities was meant to elicit feedback and suggestions from residents on the government’s drive against illegal drugs, criminality, corruption and violent extremism, and not to fish for names of drug suspects.
Cuy made the clarification as several sectors have questioned the DILG directive calling on local government units (LGUs) to install drop boxes in their communities under its MASA MASID (Mamamayang Ayaw sa Anomalya, Mamamayang Ayaw sa Iligal na Droga) project.
“The drop boxes are not for fishing out information. They are there for feedback because we want the public to be involved in our efforts,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
Cuy also explained that setting up of drop boxes is just one of the channels by which the public may provide feedback, comments, suggestions or recommendations to the government on its anti-criminality drive for proper assessment and referral to appropriate agencies.
Other such mediums are through a hotline, electronic mail, short messaging system or texts, among others.
“Of course, all the information given through the drop box will have to be checked, validated and verified. There is going to be a process in handling these. We won’t take everything hook, line and sinker,” Cuy said.
According to Cuy, drop boxes are common among banks, private organizations and even government agencies like the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to get feedback on how they are faring in the delivery of their services.
MASA MASID is a multi-sectoral and mass-based project that banks on the innate spirit of volunteerism among Filipinos to promote synergy between the state and the private sector to rid the country of the above-mentioned menaces in the society.