PDEA tags village execs in narco trade as 'high value targets'

LAOAG CITY, Philippines – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) considers barangay officials involved in the narcotics trade as “high value targets.”

“With more and more barangay officials getting involved in the country’s illegal drug trade in the last three years, they are (now) considered high-value targeted drug personalities,” said PDEA spokesperson Director Derrick Carreon.

Data from the PDEA said that 65 barangay officials involved in the illicit trade (six barangay chairpersons and 59 barangay kagawads) were arrested for drug-related offenses in 2015, which is almost 20 percent higher than 2014.

In 2014, 55 village officials (10 barangay chairpersons and 45 barangay kagawads) were arrested for violating the anti-drug law and the highest since 2013.

This year from January to October, 11 barangay chairpersons and 40 barangay kagawads, or 51 barangay officials were already arrested for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

In the past two weeks, Carreon said PDEA, in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, caught two barangay captains in Zamboanga del Norte and Camarines Norte and four barangay kagawads in Lanao del Sur, Romblon, Butuan City and Oriental Mindoro.  

Lamberto Villa, a barangay chairman cum drug group leader was killed after he tried to shoot lawmen in his own home used as a drug den in San Carlos City, Pangasinan on Sept. 21, 2016.

“It is alarming that an increasing number of barangay officials are getting involved in illegal drug activities. It is a shame that they are the highest elected officials in their communities but they are the ones pushing illegal drugs, instead of taking care of the welfare of their constituents,” PDEA chief Isidro Lapena was quoted by Carreon as saying.