Current Developments

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Tuesday
January 13, 2009
Yahoo News

Arroyo now RP anti-drug czar amid "Alabang Boy's" controversy

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Tuesday said she will act as the government's anti-drug czar in the wake of the "Alabang Boys" controversy. A report over QTV's Balitanghali said President Arroyo made the statement before the start of the Cabinet meeting at Malacañang.

President Arroyo, who on Sunday ordered Department of Justice (DOJ) officials implicated in the alleged bribery in the "Alabang Boys" mess to go on leave, said she will turn over leadership of government anti-drug efforts to Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) chair Vicente Sotto III and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Dionisio Santiago at the proper time.

"I will temporarily act as the czar, or overseer, of the war against illegal drugs. Then, I will turn over the job to the tandem (of) Tito Sotto and Jionex Santiago," the President said.

She said the controversy regarding young drug suspects Richard Brodett, Jorge Jordana Tecson, and Joseph Tecson should serve as a lesson to all sectors to intensify the war against illegal drug use. President Arroyo also called on the academe, Church groups, and non-government organizations and concerned sectors to intensify the campaign against illegal drugs.

A separate radio report quoted President Arroyo as saying that local communities that will be declared drug-free zones will be granted adequate funding for projects promoting the welfare of the youth.

House Speaker Prospero Nograles said President Arroyo is the best person to lead the government's anti-drug efforts at this time. "I guess nobody can do it better than her under the circumstances, with the vast power and resources of the Office of the President," Nograles said in a text message to reporters.

Five DOJ officials implicated in the "Alabang Boys" mess went on leave on Monday, including Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor, chief state prosecutor Jovencito Zuño, senior state prosecutor Phillip Kimpo, and state prosecutors Misael Lagada and John Resado. Resado penned the December 2 resolution dismissing the case against the three drug suspects.

PDEA Special Enforcement Services head Major Ferdinand Marcelino earlier alleged that DOJ prosecutors were bribed with P50 million by the drug suspects' affluent families to ensure their release. Marcelino also claimed that he was offered P3 million by the Tecsons so he will not file charges against the suspects in the first place, but said he refused the bribe.

The three drug suspects, who were nabbed in a buy-bust operation last September 20, are currently under PDEA custody. Their fate remains uncertain pending Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez's review of the resolution recommending their release. - GMANews.TV

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Mayors back call for SK abolition
By Yolanda Sotelo-Fuertes
Inquirer
First Posted 01:24am (Mla time) 09/07/2007

BINALONAN, PANGASINAN—Most mayors have agreed the Sangguniang Kabataan should be abolished, saying SK officials could not divide their time between schoolwork and responsibilities in the SK, according to a top official of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines.

“The mayors do not openly speak [about the issue] because of political reasons, but they are for the abolition of the SK,” Mayor Ramon Guico, LMP president, said. He said many SK presidents fail to attend the municipal, city and provincial council sessions held during school days because they needed to go to their classes.

“So they are not really able to represent the youth during the sessions but local governments are spending for their salaries and other expenses,” he said.

As for SK projects in the villages, SK leaders usually consult barangay chairs who make the decisions on where the budget should be spent, he added. Guico said whenever SK leaders ask local officials for projects they are usually accompanied by their parents “who dictate on their children what to do.”

“They can not really decide on their own yet, thus they can not effectively represent the youth sector,” he said. Guico also said LMP members are divided between the plan to postpone the barangay and SK elections.

He said newly elected mayors wanted the elections to push through because most of the incumbent barangay officials are not their political allies, while reelected mayors wanted the elections postponed because the incumbent officials are their allies.