ILOILO City – Do not vote candidates involved in illegal drugs, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 6 appealed to the public gearing for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections this May 14.
“Go for candidates that are sincere and with good moral character,” said Director Wardley Getalla.
On Monday, the PDEA central office released a list of barangay officials with alleged links to illegal drugs. The list contained 207 names – 90 barangay captains and 117 councilmen. There was only one from Western Visayas – Barangay Captain Gemma Calzado of Kasingkasing, Molo, Iloilo City.
“For the good of the barangays, do not vote candidates with ties to drugs,” said Getalla.
Mere suspicion of involvement in drug trafficking should be enough ground not to support a candidate, he stressed.
The election campaign period is from May 4 to May 12.
President Rodrigo Duterte would have wanted the barangay election postponed due to the purported influence of drug money in the polls. But Congress lacked the time to deliberate the matter.
“Since six or seven years ago, we were already a narco-politics state,” the President told around 1,300 municipal mayors during a general assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) at the Manila Hotel in March last year.
The country has 42,029 barangays.
“Kung bobotohin ninyo ang kandidato na hindi maganda ang pagkatao or my illegal activities, kayo rin ang maapektohan kung mananlo sila. Better select candidates na maganda ang personality,” said Getalla.
In March this year during a speech at a shooting competition for policemen and soldiers in Davao City, President Duterte said, “I will never, never until the end of my term, to the last day, allow a government official to use his power or position as a platform to engage in criminality, especially drugs.”/PN
