If the shame campaign initiated in Lapu-Lapu City to fight the drug problem is legal, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he would do the same.
“If I could, I would.”
And he would so even more. Instead of just spray-painting houses identified as drug dens, he will demolish these houses instead, and will start with Barangay Ermita.
During a press conference yesterday, Osmeña said he would use do everything legal to stop the “serious problem.”
“I hope the people will understand. We are in a state of war and I have to follow the law. The criminals don’t like to follow the law. So I will use every tool and my power to stop this,” he said.
He, however, admitted that he still has no clue if this initiative is legal.
“If I can put a poster there ‘This house is drug-infested,’ I would. When they say, ‘Is this legal?’ I don’t know. But if it is legal, Oh yes (I will do it),” he said.
He said majority of the barangays in the city are still drug-infested, the reason why he canceled the financial allowance of some barangay tanods.
Even the barangay officials are involved in the drug trade, he said.
Osmeña also mentioned Barangays Lorega, Suba, Calamba, Hipodromo, Basak San Nicolas, and Kalunasan.
Unconstitutional
The regional office of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR-7) reiterated that shame campaigns are “prone to abuse and tramples on the rights of the people.”
CHR investigator Leo Villarino denied the statement of Pajo Barangay Captain Junard Chan that CHR sees nothing wrong with the campaign.
“It is the statement of Barangay Captain Chan. It did not come from me. I never said that to him,” Villarino told Cebu Daily News.
Villarino added that the village chief misinterpreted him. He said that they went to Pajo to investigate, but he never said that the shame campaign has not violated any human rights.
Chan told reporters that he would continue the shame campaign because he claimed that the CHR saw nothing wrong with it.
But Villarino said, when the CHR investigators went to the barangay to interview the occupants of the house marked as a “drug den” by Chan last Wednesday, they found out that there were no physical abuses done during the shame campaign.
“Nahinabi nato ang mga occupants sa mga balay and atong na validate nga wala sila pwersaha, or physical abuses sa barangay captain. Courteous ang kapitan. Mao na atong nalipayan. Nalipay ta kay way nahitabong kagubot o pagpatay,” Villarino said.
(We talked to the occupants of the houses and we were able to validate that they were not forced or physically hurt by the barangay captain. The captain was courteous. We were happy because there were no chaos or killings that accompanied the shame campaign.)
“It does not mean or synonymous nga nalipay ta sa ilahang gibuhat sa pagbutang og (that we are happy they marked the houses as) drug den. In fact, it is unconstitutional,” Villarino added.
A dialog with barangay officials and the police will be done next week, he said.
Police Regional director, Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino said they welcome the dialog initiated by the CHR-7.
“The best way for us is to sit down (and) to help each other. If the human rights findings say that it is a violation ng human rights, so masabi rin sa amin (so they can tell us). Ano naman yung paraan (whatever means) to continue this without violating human rights,” Espino said.
Osmeña, however, said he will not meddle with the plans of the police. He said he will let them do their own work.
“I slowed down on that because they removed all my power. Let them decide. That is my stand before,” he said.
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