Binay to confer award on slain councilman

MANILA, Philippines -  Vice President Jejomar Binay, through the Pimentel Institute for Leadership and Governance (PILG) at the University of Makati, will confer a posthumous local governance award to the late councilman Reynaldo Dagsa, who was killed due to his efforts to curb crime in Barangay 35, Caloocan City.

PILG chairman and former senator Aquilino Pimentel said Binay will hand the plaque of commendation to Dagsa’s widow, Arlene, and their two children on Friday in the presence of barangay officials from all over the country, who are there to take a brief course on local governance at the PILG.

“This is the first award to be handed down to a barangay official who gave up his life to ensure law and order will prevail in his barangay,” he told The STAR.

He said Dagsa led Barangay 35’s peacekeeping force and their group was responsible for arresting members of the Pasaway gang, who reportedly had been terrorizing the neighborhood.

Arlene said it was a “pleasant surprise” to have the Vice President acknowledge her husband’s deeds, though she said she fears for her life and that of her family because some of her husband’s killers are still at large.