MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) filed its first case against an official it named in its controversial drug list.

On Friday, May 11, the PDEA National Capital Region (NCR) filed the following drugs and administrative charges before the Office of the Ombudsman against Alvin Mañalac, Barangay Captain of Tinajeros, Malabon, for allegedly failing to report a drug den in his area and submitting incomplete drug watch lists:

• Violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act – For allegedly being a drug protector or coddler, maintaining a drug den, and manufacturing illegal drugs
• Violation of Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code – For allegedly falsifying documents 
• Violation of the Local Government Code – For alleged gross negligence

“Alvin Mañalac as Punong Barangay (Barangay Captain) miserably failed to join the government in its crusade to fight illegal drugs,” the PDEA said in its 15-page complaint.

The PDEA is referring to the ecstasy laboratory it shut down in April, which was brought down thanks to a tip from Chinese anti-drug enforcers.

PDEA’s proof: PDEA NCR chief Ismael Fajardo admitted they have no evidence directly linking Mañalac to the unreported drug den, but he argued that Mañalac had all the means to find out that the laboratory was rising in the village he promised to watch over.

“Kung nalaman ng PDEA at ng pulis at barangay captain ka, impossible…Ultimo tsinelas na nawala alam ng kapitan (If PDEA and police knew [before you did] and you’re a barangay captain, it’s impossible…Even a missing slipper a barangay captain knows),” Fajardo said.

“Kung nakita niyo ‘yung drug den doon, napakalapit sa barangay hall, so it is really impossible na hindi mo ma-monitor (If you could see the drug den, you’d see that it’s near the barangay hall, so it’s really impossible that you couldn’t monitor it),” Fajardo added. 

HAPPENING NOW: PDEA presents case to be filed before the Ombudsman against a Malabon barangay captain included in their drug list.

This is their first case against a name in their controversial 200-item roll. @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/Zgt8aLf73U

— Rambo Talabong (@rambotalabong) May 11, 2018

This is only the first: Mañalac is only the first to face charges of 207 barangay officials named in the PDEA’s narco-list published for all to see on April 30.

Pressed to confirm when the PDEA plans to formally accuse all the others, Fajardo replied the PDEA can’t issue a timeline as all the other cases are still being built up by their agents. 

Despite this, the PDEA already requested the Philippine National Police to conduct Oplan Tokhang visits against the named officials, knocking at their doors and asking them to surrender just based on the government’s intelligence. – Rappler.com