The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has made a decision to release to the public the names of barangay officials running for May election who are included in the government’s “drug list”.
This is contrary to their previous decision, it can be recalled that PDEA Director Derrick Arnold Carreon said his agency is not in favor of the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) proposal to disclose the drug watch list as it is not the job of the law enforcement to publicize the names but to find evidence to ready them for arrest.
However, PDEA chief Aaron Aquino announced that they will be releasing 289 names of barangay officials from Eastern Visayas so they could warn voters against supporting them, the same reason why the DILG is pushing for such action.
“We have to publish their names so that if they are candidates now for the upcoming SK and barangay elections, no one will vote for them,” Aquino was quoted as saying in a Philstar report.
He added that these officials are supposed to help the government in its efforts to eradicate illegal drugs in the country but demeaned their roles by being “traders, users, and protectors” of illegal drugs.
Due to this, Aquino said, they leave the law enforcers with no choice but to expose them so that “people and the constituents should know they are not worthy to be voted anymore.”
(DAILY NEWS ROUND UP FOR 04/ 19 /18)