Diamante takes oath as PDP-Laban member

CEBU, Philippines - After one year of being the first opposition mayor in the Province of Cebu to support President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against illegal drugs, Tuburan Mayor Democrito Diamante Jr. has formally taken his oath as member of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

Diamante, the president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)-Cebu Chapter and the league’s vice president for the Visayas Cluster, said the oath taking was held on August 1 in Lubao, Pampanga.

He said no less than Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, PDP-Laban president, and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez administered the oath of the majority of the LMP provincial chapter presidents.

Other officials who also took their oath with PDP-Laban are LMP national president, Mayor Fe Brondial of Oriental Mindoro; LMP-Southern Leyte president Oliver Ranque, LMP-Northern Samar president Don Abalon, and some mayors and congressmen.

“Maganda ang layunin at adbokasiya ng PDP-Laban. Ito’y isang partido na angkop sa mga mahirap na katulad ko,” Diamante said.

Diamante is also strongly supporting the federalism advocacy of the Duterte’s administration by organizing the “Sugbuanong Federalismo.”

Even if he belongs to the Liberal Party when he won in the May 2016 elections, Diamante asked Cebu mayors to rally behind the administration of Duterte.

In fact, Tuburan was the first in Cebu province and in the entire country to organize residents to form Alsa Droga to join Duterte's war against illegal drugs.

Patterned after the Alsa Masa (masses rising), the now defunct anti-communist vigilante group based in Davao City, the Alsa Droga was organized ahead of the call of former Department of Interior and Local Government secretary Ismael Sueno to revive the concept of the Alsa Masa to make citizens across the country more involved in anti-crime efforts, but in a "non-violent way."

Diamante said that while Sueno had announced his plan to revive Alsa Masa, they have already started it in their town and launched Alsa Droga beforehand.

Around 1,000 residents of Tuburan town have organized themselves to join the government’s war against illegal drugs and have undergone seminars and trainings on enforcement and on the law against drugs.

However, Diamante said that unlike Alsa Masa, the Alsa Droga is a complementary force to help the police in curbing the spread of drugs in the barangays.

The Alsa Droga volunteers are the proverbial eyes-and-ears of the authorities in their respective barangays by monitoring those involved in drugs, noting the presence of unfamiliar faces in their areas, and informing the police and barangay officials about their observations.

The volunteers are also assisting the police in anti-drug information and education campaigns at the barangay level and provide other data about the illegal activities within their barangays.

Diamante, who was elated over the voluntary creation of the Alsa Droga, said many residents earlier approached him to air their concerns about the proliferation of drugs in their areas.

A barangay official even revealed that he wanted to stop some members of his family from being involved in the drug trade.

Diamante said the residents were the ones who broached to him the idea and told him they would create Alsa Droga to help the government in the war against the drug menace in their town. (FREEMAN)