Apologize for false claim, Mandaue execs tell PRO-7

Mandaue City Hall’s Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) demanded an apology from the Police Regional Office (PRO-7) for claiming that Mandaue City has the most number of inactive Barangay Anti-illegal Drugs Abuse Council (BADAC).

“It hurts to hear that we have non-performing BADACs when our record says otherwise. But we were even made an example of having the highest number of non-performing BADACs,” said Mandaue City Councilor and concurrent ABC President Ernie Manatad in Cebuano.

Supt. Reyman Tolentin, PRO-7 spokesman, said about 22 out of 27 Mandaue City barangays failed to conduct monthly coordination meetings with them based on records of the Regional Intelligence Division as of January this year.

Manatad said records from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) showed that majority of the 27 barangays were holding BADAC meetings in their communities.

He said he will file a resolution demanding a public apology from the PRO-7 for issuing their “erroneous” statement.

Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna supported Manatad’s call saying the PRO-7 pronouncement may give the false impression that non-performing barangays are protecting drug traffickers.

“(Tolentin’s) statement may connote that narcopolitics is rampant in Mandaue City’s barangays,” Fortuna said.

Later Senior Supt. Roberto Alanas, Mandaue City police chief, said Tolentin may have based his data on incomplete records from the RID.

Alanas said the Mandaue City Police Office had been recognized as one of the best performing police offices in the country in the war on drugs.

“We achieved this through the performance of the barangays,” Alanas said.

PNP Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa earlier threatened to file administrative charges of dereliction of duty against barangay officials who fail to maximize use of their barangay anti-drug abuse councils.