Why Do PDEA Agents Distrust Barangay Officials

This happened in a city in the Visayas but I guess it’s happening in many barangays elsewhere given our country’s widespread drug trafficking problem.

Panay News reported that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) had been pressuring barangay officials to cooperate in the campaign against drug trafficking.  

But in a recent sting operation, its operatives appeared to be distrustful of local leaders.

The council of a barangay in the city where a buy-bust operation was staged passed a resolution condemning PDEA agents.  The village officials complained that “the raiding team did not coordinate, inform or invite any member of the council” about their operations.

An agent of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (right) leads 

a provincial board member out of the PDEA headquarters to a 

court to face charges for alleged illegal drug trade. GMA News.

But a PDEA regional director said that there was nothing illegal or irregular with what his men did.  He cited previous experiences that made his agents less trusting of barangay officials in anti-drug operations.      

Officially witnessing actual anti-drug operations or simply having authority over any government operations in a barangay is within the powers of barangay officials.  

This could be the reason why these officials accused PDEA of “knowingly, intentionally and unlawfully” not observing and following the prescribed rules and procedures in buy-bust operations.

But another set of laws seems to be in favor of PDEA in a way.  Section 21 of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act) did not require witnesses in anti-illegal drug operations to be from a subject barangay.

The experience of the agency showed many instances when barangay officials who witnessed buy-bust operations would deny having signed the inventory sheet of items recovered from drug suspects.  Some of them even claimed that their signatures were forged.

These incidents often led to dismissal of many cases filed against drug suspects.

Confidentiality of the drug operation is a prime consideration, according to the drug agency.

When staging sting operations, PDEA agents take into consideration several factors. This includes the possibility of barangay officials protecting the drug suspects.

According to one of its officials, “there should be no leaks as to when or where the PDEA agents would operate so as to deny drug suspects the chance of fleeing", reported Panay News.