DAVAO CITY (March 21)-— The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has filed a complaint against 45 mayors before the Office of the Ombudsman for their alleged failure or refusal to create Anti-Illegal Drugs Abuse Council (ADAC) in their areas.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año the department filed the complaint after the concerned officials repeatedly ignored or refused to follow the memorandum.
The cases were filed on Wednesday, on March 14 and March 20 respectively.
In a statement Año stressed “Despite several directives from the DILG and the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), the concerned mayors still failed or refused to comply with the said orders and their towns are among those that are without an organized and functional ADAC.”
The 45 Mayor are from the following area:
- 15 are in the Bicol region, particularly in Albay, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon provinces.
- Three mayors from Calabarzon, Laguna and Quezon provinces; two in Cagayan Valley – one in Cagayan and one in Nueva Vizcaya
- Five are from Abra and Ifugao provinces, and five from Palawan province.
- Four from Central Visayas, four mayors are in Cebu province and one in Eastern Samar province.
- Mindanao Caraga, all three mayors are from Agusan del Norte province. Seven are in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), specifically in Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, and Lanao del Sur provinces.
Earlier, Año said they intend to institutionalize the ADAC program by urging Congress to pass a legislation on it.
Based on the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) and DDB (Dangerous Drugs Board) joint memorandum circular, the LGU is mandated to make their ADAC’s into an office. Meaning to say, there has to be personnel to run the office.
He said the war against drugs is a “whole-of-government approach” and can only be won when everyone “chips in” their contribution.
The local governments in the barangay, municipal, and provincial levels are mandated to convene their ADACs to address first-hand drug issues in areas of their jurisdiction. –with report from PNA
