PDEA files drug raps vs Malabon village chief

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) yesterday filed a criminal and administrative complaint against a barangay chairman in Malabon City over his alleged failure to curb the manufacturing of illegal drugs in his village.

In a 15-page complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, the PDEA – represented by its National Capital Region director Ismael Fajardo Jr. – said Barangay Tinajeros chairman Alvin Mañalac must be held liable for violation of several provisions of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and falsification of public documents.

PDEA also charged Mañalac with the administrative offenses of grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service as well as gross negligence.

The complaint stemmed from Mañalac’s supposed failure to stop the operation of a drug laboratory located on D. dela Cruz street, which the PDEA-National Capital Region office discovered and raided on April 13.

Two suspected pushers and eight other individuals were arrested during the raid.

Fajardo said Mañalac’s failure to discover or to report the operation of the drug laboratory “constitutes an act of being a protector or coddler” of the suspected drug pushers and manufacturers especially as “his incompetence effec- tively shielded, prevented and proscribed the prosecutions of persons for violation of RA 9165.”

Mañalac was among the 207 barangay chairmen identified by PDEA in a “narco-list” it released last week as supposedly involved in illegal drugs.