In preparation for the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), the Philippine National Police (PNP) monitored barangay officials allegedly involved in illegal drugs.
According to Jun Veneracion’s report on “24 Oras,” the PNP and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) were preparing to build cases and launch joint operations against the barangay officials they were monitoring.
“Kasama sa mino-monitor natin ang ilang barangay officials na nasasangkot sa ilegal na droga,” PNP chief Police General Benjamin Acorda Jr. said.
Acorda added that it was vital for the public to be vigilant to prevent those involved in illegal drugs from sneaking into the election.
The PNP, however, did not release any details on the officials with drug ties.
The PDEA, in 2018, publicly released a narco list with over two hundred barangay officials.
“‘Pag meron drug group sa isang area ‘yan ang nagdadala ng panganib sa mamamayan dahil pwedeng gamitin ang mga groups na ‘yan sa pangha harass, sa pananakot, sa vote buying,” said Maranan.
Additionally, the PNP monitored 48 private armed groups in Regions 3, 5, 6, 13, the Cordillera, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.
“Binigyan natin ng focus ngayon accounting of loose firearms, identifying areas if concern na dapat bantayan natin, bumaba na tayo sa mga komunidad appeal to them na isumbong yung mga personalities when it comes to shooting and other possible na gang or private armed group na magamit sa election,” Maranan stressed.
The BSKE has been postponed repeatedly since 2016. In October 2022, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the law moving the December 2022 BSKE to the last Monday of October 2023. — Sherylin Untalan/DVM, GMA Integrated News
