Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. (File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Barangay (village) captains should clean their ranks and prove President Rodrigo Duterte that the report that up to 40 percent of village officials are involved in drugs is not true, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said on Friday.
“If the report is wrong, then maybe there is no need to discuss appointments to replace barangay officials”, said Pimentel in a keynote speech to the Strategic Consultation and Workshop on Federalism, Barangay Reform, and Role of Barangays in National Security Concerns organized by the Liga ng mga Barangay (LNB).
In March, Duterte said barangay elections will be suspended this year after he received reports that 40 percent of village officials are involved in the drug business.
BACKSTORY: Duterte eyes declaring all barangay posts vacant in October
“Do not commit the mistake of calling elections now because narco-politics has entered into the mainstream of Philippines politics,” Duterte said.
With this, Pimentel challenged barangay chairmen to prove to the President and the anti-drug agencies like the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency that there is no truth to the report.
“If the barangay is drug-infested, heavily drug-infested, our intelligence community would believe that the barangay leaders are involved in drugs… that is a reasonable conclusion,” Pimentel said.
If the village chiefs would be able to do this, the only question before Congress would be the postponement of barangay elections in October and there would be no discussion about the appointment of barangay officials.
Pimentel said that the constitutionality of the appointments is still under study and invited the LNB to submit its own position paper on the matter. IDL