By ARDY ARANETA-BATOY
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary
Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos, Jr. conducted surprise, random drug testing
among DILG staff and its attached agencies on June 2, 2023, as part of
the Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Aiwan (BIDA) Program in the Department.
This comes after reports have reached DILG Manila that a Bohol Capitol
employee was arrested last week in possession of P1.8 million illegal
drugs in Dauis town.
Frederick Pamatong Madriñan, a 51-year-old licensed veterinarian and
employee at the Provincial Veterinarian Office, was arrested during a
buy-bust operation conducted by the Dauis Municipal Police Station
(MPS) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Following the arrest of Madriñan, the Provincial Government of Bohol led
by Gov. Aris Aumentado has not so far made any public
pronouncements on conducting a surprise drug test on more than 1,700
Capitol workers.
Abalos, for his part, has called on local government officials to get
serious in their battle plan against the proliferation and resurgence of
illegal drugs months after the presidency of Rody Duterte ended in June
2022.
“We’re going to implement this because it’s very important. For the
longest time, the focus of our drug campaign has been supply reduction.
So through the BIDA program, we’re going to deal with the demand side
of the problem,” Abalos said in the launch of the BIDA Sportsfest 2023 at
the DILG headquarters in Camp Crame.
He added: “This also shows that we, the entire DILG Family, have
served as a model in our campaign against illegal drugs.”
Abalos also urged the local chief executives (LCEs) in the country to use
the place of influence in sports among Filipinos as one of the effective
weapons to keep the public, especially the youth, away from bad habits.
“Through our BIDA program, we are not only promoting a healthy
lifestyle here but we are also increasing awareness and encouraging
people to avoid illegal drugs and avoid their serious effects,” said the
Secretary.
The BIDA program is part of the government’s “whole-of-nation
approach” against illegal drugs. It includes local government units,
national government agencies, and other stakeholders to effectively
promote the reduction of drug demand in all sectors of the community.
According to Abalos, 12 BIDA Launching Activities, 15 BIDA Roll-outs, 8
BIDA Service Caravans, and 15 BIDA Fun Run activities were held in
different regions of the country since the program was formally launched
in November 2022.
About 2,500 DILG personnel and attached agencies participated in the
opening ceremony of the BIDA Sportsfest, which was held at the PNP
Headquarters in Camp Crame. DILG personnel competed in various
sports including basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, as well as
Zumba festival, photography contest, poster-making contest, and
banner-making contest.
The BIDA Sportsfest is part of the DILG’s efforts to promote a healthy
lifestyle among its personnel and to encourage them to avoid illegal
drugs. The Secretary hopes that the program will be a success and that
it will help to create a drug-free Philippines.
LATEST BUY-BUST
Meanwhile, local authorities in Bohol have scored a significant
accomplishment in their anti-illegal drugs campaign, this time in Panglao
town.
About P680,000 worth of suspected shabu was seized by the police in a
buy bust operation in Panglao, Bohol on May 31, 2023.
The suspect, Elmer Alboroto, alias Opaw, 44, was arrested by the
Panglao Municipal Police Station Municipal Drug Enforcement Team
(MDET) led by PMaj. Andie Corpus.
Alboroto was caught selling a sachet of suspected shabu to a police
poseur buyer in Purok 5, Bil-isan, Panglao.
The police also confiscated from Alboroto 19 more sachets of suspected
shabu, a mobile phone, and P1,000 in marked money.
Alboroto admitted to selling drugs and said he is a drug courier who
picks up and delivers drugs to customers in Panglao, police said.
He was arrested in 2014 for drug possession but was acquitted in 2019,
according to police records.
The inventory of the seized drugs was witnessed by Kagawad Jonas
Hormachuelos, Kagawad Olimpio Bompat, and Dave Charles Responte
of DyTR.
Panglao Vice Mayor Noel Hormachuelos also witnessed the operation
and the inventory.
The suspect is currently detained at the Panglao MPS and will be
charged with violation of Section 5 and 11, Article II of Republic Act
9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The police said the operation is part of their intensified campaign against
illegal drugs in Panglao, a popular tourist destination in the country.