Governor thumbs down drug shame campaign

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III is not in favor of the shame campaign conducted in the barangays–a drive that embarrasses those involved in the illegal drug trade.

Davide suggests that the barangay officials under Cebu province should refrain from doing it as they might be in danger of instead being sued for libel.

“That is prone to libel noh. Unless there's proof (na dili sila involved og illegal drugs), sugdan jud na og kiha," he told reporters.

Davide is not certain how effective this type of campaign if applied at the barangay level.

He also added that the persons alleged as drug personalities may not even be involved in illegal drugs.

“You're already attributing some offenses or crime to the person or to this group nga drug kuan sila. Dili ko uyon anang shame campaign,” he said.

The first shame campaign was initiated in Sitio Kamanggahan II, Barangay Pajo, Lapu-Lapu City, which was supported by Mayor Paz Radaza, following positive feedback from residents.

Pajo Barangay Captain Junard “Ahong” Chan, who initiated the campaign, marked a boarding house as an “IDENTIFIED DRUG DEN” last September 4.

Chan, however, explained that the owner of the boarding house was the one who requested to mark his place with those texts as room renters and strangers go inside to do illegal activities like sniffing shabu.

A team from the Commission on Human Rights went to investigate the controversial campaign in the said barangay but did not give any negative remarks about the matter.

The Lapu-Lapu City Police Office also supported Chan's initiative.

But Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale and Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office Director Carmen Remedios “Ivy” Durano-Meca disagreed with the shame campaign.

Magpale said she would want the barangays to focus more on rehabilitation of their drug surrenderers.

She will not recommend the shame campaign because even if this will be conducted with the intensified efforts of the police, there are still drug surrenderers who would go back using illegal drugs.

Meca, on the other hand, described the campaign as an “intrusion of privacy.”

If the house was already identified as a drug den, she said, this should have been destroyed through a police operation.

She also said the campaign is a negative approach, suggesting that authorities should instead identify “drug-free” houses, which is a positive tactic.

Meca said authorities should also take into consideration the children occupants of the houses who would likewise be put to shame.

Jose Dungog, president of the Association of the Barangay Councils in Lapu-Lapu City, also opposed Chan's campaign, calling it “unconstitutional.”

Chan, in earlier reports, said what he was doing was a form of prevention, as he does not want to have another person to get killed, arrested, or become mentally disturbed because of illegal drugs.

Christell Fatima M. Tudtud / RHM