(RILED. Gov. Lilia G. Pineda vents her disappointment over the “poor conduct’ of President Duterte’s war against drugs in Pampanga at the peace and order council meeting. With her at the head table are (L-R) PML president Mayor Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab of Lubao, Pampanga police director Senior Supt. Joel Consulta, BMs Fritzie David-Dizon and Cherry Manalo, DILG provincial director Myrvie Fabia, provincial administrator Jun Pangilinan, VG Dennis Pineda, and PDEA-3 head Juvenal Azurin. Photo by Bong Lason)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Shedding her gentle, nurturing Nanay persona, Gov. Lilia G. Pineda went virtually ballistic Wednesday over the “poor” conduct of the war against drugs in Pampanga.
“President Duterte has all the right and reasons to be dismayed, even to be angry with us in local government and in the police forces as we fall short of our duty to give him all-out support in this war,” Pineda said at the provincial peace and order council meeting at the Kingsborough International Convention Center here.
Pineda noted that in his recent meeting with the governors, the President pleaded for their support to “win the war against drugs and save our nation from perdition.”
“Bakit kailangan pang makiusap ang Presidente sa atin na tumulong sa drug campaign e trabaho natin yan, tapos Pangulo lang ang binabanatan sa media. Dapat tayo ang pinupuna (Why is there a need for the President to appeal for our support when that is our obligation, then only he gets the brunt of criticism from media when it is us that deserves such criticisms),” Pineda said.
“There are certainly lapses on our part that we have to acknowledge, learn from them and renew our determination to fight illegal drugs and all the problems that come along with it,” she furthered.
According to her, “there was little if any correct information on the illegal drug problem at ground level being shared from the barangay to the municipality and up to the provincial levels.”
“This is compounded by the lack of coordination among stakeholders such as the barangay and town officials on one hand, and the police on the other,” she added.
Noticing only a few mayors were present at the meeting, Pineda decried the “apparent lack of interest or indifference of some local executives” in the anti-drug campaign.
“We need the mayors themselves, not their mere representatives to actively pursue this campaign to an accomplished conclusion,” she said, reminding Department of the Interior and Local Government provincial director Myrvie Fabia to ensure the presence of all mayors in subsequent meetings of the council “under pain of administrative sanctions, if need be.”
Among the mayors present in the meeting were Pampanga Mayors League president Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab of Lubao, Peter Nucom of Apalit, Bon Alejandrino of Arayat, Jomar Hizon of Bacolor, Dan Baylon of Candaba, Condralito de la Cruz of Porac, Ross Gamboa of Sta. Ana, Venancio Macapagal of San Luis, and Edwin Santiago of the City of San Fernando.
Also in attendance were the provincial police office headed by Senior Supt. Joel Consulta, heads and representatives of the provincial offices of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Justice, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Public Attorney’s Office, Integrated Bar of the Philippines, among others.
Surrenderees
Reacting to a briefing by the Pampanga provincial police office which highlighted the voluntary surrender of 11,000 confessed drug pushers and users, Pineda expressed dissatisfaction over their alleged “reformation.”
She said that many of the so-called surrenderees have reverted to their nefarious ways with illegal drugs.
“Tama si President Duterte, napakalaking halaga ng ginagastos ng gobyerno sa rehabilitastyon na parang nasasayang lamang kapag hindi naman puspusan ang kanilang kagustuhan na magbago (The President is right, government spends a lot funds for their rehabilitation which is only wasted by their unwillingness to change),” Pineda said.
For his part, Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda urged the police to conduct follow- up random screening among surrenderees to ensure that they do not go back to using or selling illegal drugs.
Drug testing kits were allocated for the continuous monitoring of those who are undergoing or have passed the reformation program.
The provincial government, though, was puzzled why of the 40,000 kits made available, only around 6,000 have been utilized.
“If the towns need the kits, all they have to do is make a request and we can dispense anytime of the day,” the vice governor said.
He also reminded the provincial police to turn over to another component of the Dalan king Pamagbayu (Road to Change) program those surrenderees who will test positive for drugs anew during or after their reformation program.
Lament
On the sidelines of the meeting, Gov. Pineda raised indignation over the kidnap and killing of Angeles Citybased South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo even as she expressed her personal sympathies to his family.
“Much as I would like to engage the Korean community in my official capacity, I may be misconstrued of encroaching upon the political authority of Angeles City, being independent from the province,” she said.
Pineda lamented though that the distinction of Pampanga and Angles City as separate political units has been blurred in the reportage rising out of the Jee killing and in the subsequent case of extortion and illegal arrest of Koreans by members of the city police.
“Those involved have been generalized as ‘pulis-Pampanga’ not specified as Angeles City policemen, therefore smearing the image of the provincial police force which is most unfair to them,” Pineda rued.
With report from Albert Lacanlale
