The reported nationwide disclosure of suspected drug-addicts, drug pushers, drug dealers or druglords by the PDEA more or less two weeks before the campaign period in the barangay and SK elections had been awaited with bated breath by the citizenry nationwide—the good, the bad and the included.
It is a timely PDEA decision encouraged probably by Malacanang for good. It is meant to deprive the winning chances of narco-politics-supported candidates in the barangay and SK elections come May 14.
It would be a futile exercise of our rights of suffrage, if by the perennial malady of vote-buying and vote-selling, candidates with questionable credibility and qualification win in the barangays, heads our smallest political unit— the barangays— where ambitions and dreams arise and nurtured by law-abiding, educated, God-fearing parents or families.
Hence, amid the denunciations and protests of some groups vis-a-vis human rights violations and collateral damage that may arise after the disclosure of drugs-related violators with impunity, this crusading community newspaper supports the decision of PDEA to expose candidates with drugs-related connections—past and present.
And not only that. Win or lose, those included in the drugs watch list should be prosecuted as soon as possible. This is imperative to send consistent strong signal to corrupt, inept, drugs personalities that they do not deserve to be in government, especially in the smallest political unit—the barangay.
Be that as it may, we hope and pray that the barangay and SK elections scheduled on May 14, would be clean, fair, honest and orderly. That those who would win deserve the trust and confidence bestowed upon them by their respective constituents.
