TACLOBAN CITY – The Police Regional Office in Eastern Visayas (PRO-8) confirmed that the four barangay officials, who were in the narco list of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), had been tagged as drug users.
But the police said the four, who were running in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in May, had already reformed after they surrendered during “Oplan: Tokang,” a police campaign that urged drug personalities to surrender.
They were village councilors Domar Jabolin of Barangay 3 Poblacion, and Julie Rebato of Barangay 2 Poblacion in San Jose de Buan, Samar; Ricky Ansale of Barangay Matango, Almeria town, Biliran; and Vladimir Adlawon, barangay chairman of Kalangaman, Bato town, Leyte.
Senior Insp. Pirzano Camacho, police chief of San Jose de Buan, Samar, said he validated the PDEA list after it came out on Monday and found that Jabolin and Rebato had stopped using drugs after surrendering during Oplan Tokhang.
“They were among the first to surrender and since then, had stopped engaging in the illegal drug trade,” Camacho, in a phone interview.
The two were running for reelection in the May 14 polls.
“It’s confirmed that both barangay officials were into illegal drugs as users. But based on our monitoring, they were no longer into it,” said Camacho.
Senior Insp. Arturo Salvacion Jr., police chief of Bato, said Adlawon, who was running for councilor, also stopped using drugs following his surrender in 2016.
Ansale was also no longer using drugs based on the police monitoring, said Almeria police chief Senior Insp. Kim Wendell Montilla.
Montilla said Ansale surrendered on Dec. 11, 2016 and “totally stopped” using illegal drugs.
He added Almeria has been declared drug-free by PDEA last March 5 due to their massive campaign against illegal drugs.