51 mayors face charges over failed ADAC

THE DEPARTMENT of the Interior and Local Government said it filed administrative charges against 51 mayors over their alleged failure to establish an Anti-Drug Abuse Council (ADAC) in their locality.

DILG Assistant Secretary Ricojudge Echiverri underscored the importance of setting up an ADAC in every community, saying it signifies commitment and collective action to eliminate the problem of illegal drugs.

He said the charges were filed recently at the Office of the Ombudsman for misconduct and dereliction of duty against.

Echiverri said the failure of the respondent to create the local ADAC can be classified as a misconduct in office or a dereliction of duty which is among the grounds for discipline, suspension, or removal from office of a local official. “We will leave it to the Ombudsman to decide on the punishment, the lightest is reprimand, one is suspension, or the worst — removal,” he said.

Echiverri said 9 respondents from municipalities with low functioning anti-drugs council are on also on the so-called narco-list. He explained that a local government unit could be classified with low functionality ADAC if there is no allocation of resources for the council or the heads failed to establish a community-based rehabilitation center.

While the non-compliant are the local government units that scored zero in the agency’s performance ratings. Echiverri enjoined the LGUs to organize their ADAC as mandated by the law. The first batch of the complaints was filed against 20 mayors on March 14 while the second batch against another 25 was lodged on March 20. (Joyce Ann Rocamora)

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