Drug money to be used for election campaign?

MANILA, Philippines - The police Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) expressed alarm over the apparent increase in the number of government officials arrested for drug-related offenses, some of whom admitted to be raising campaign funds for the 2016 elections.

AIDSOTF spokesman Chief Insp. Roque Merdegia said yesterday that 126 government officials and employees were arrested for illegal drug-related offenses from January to June this year.

He said the figure is higher compared to previous years, with only 190 persons arrested during the entire year in 2014, 138 in 2013, 65 in 2012 and 29 in 2011, or a total of 548 elected government officials, government employees and law enforcers.

“During our tactical interrogation conducted on arrested government officials, elected and appointed… these people resorted to illegal drug operations to raise money,” Merdegia said.

Merdegia said the number of elected government officials, government employees and law enforcers involved in illegal drugs might increase with seven months to go before the May 2016 elections.

Of the 548 arrested suspects, Merdegia said 158 were elected officials, including a provincial board member, three municipal councilors, a candidate for mayor, a vice mayor, 28 barangay chairmen and 124 barangay councilors.

Merdegia said 151 were employees of local government, 63 barangay employees, 12 teachers and 20 from other government agencies.

Of the 144 law enforcers, 89 were personnel of the Philippine National Police, 21 members of the military, a member of the Coast Guard, a member of the Marines, 12 jail guards, 10 firemen and 10 militiamen.

“Some of those arrested in illegal drug operations claimed that they could not return because they don’t have money, but if they had money they could again run in the elections and the fastest way to earn money is drugs, that’s why they set up a laboratory in Masbate,” said Merdegia.

Last July, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed criminal charges against two former mayors of Masbate who were allegedly implicated in the operations of two shabu laboratories in the province in February.

Cherry Abapo Jr., former mayor of San Fernando town; Lester Abapo, former mayor of Milagros town and currently a barangay chairman in Masbate, were charged with manufacture of illegal drugs and conspiracy to manufacture illegal drugs. Charged along with them were Ponga Lee, the foreigner who supervised the operation of the laboratories, and Fernando Bravante.

Merdegia said the case stemmed from two operations in Masbate last Feb. 14 where two clandestine laboratories were raided in Barangay Nursery and Barangay Tugba. Cherry Abapo was arrested in one of the labs.