Suspected drug dealer's bid closely watched in Isabela polls

SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela, Philippines  – While politicians are closely watching their respective bets’ chances in today’s barangay polls, undoubtedly one of the most closely monitored races here involves a suspected drug dealer running for chairmanship in one of the city’s barangays.

Ironically, Johnny de Leon, tagged by police as one of the suspected drug dealers in Cagayan Valley, is running on a campaign to clean up his village of illegal drugs and all other sorts of vices.

De Leon is gunning for the chairmanship of Barangay Mabini, one of this city’s most populated villages tagged by authorities as the region’s major transshipment point of shabu. 

“If given the chance, I want to make Mabini drug-free and also clear my name of these baseless accusations,” he said.

Mabini, together with Barangay Maura in Cagayan’s Aparri town, is one of the 145 barangays tagged as hot spots in the region, according to the latest drug situation report of the Region 2 police.

Superintendent Severino Abad, city police chief, confirmed that De Leon is one of the suspected drug dealers in the region.

“His name was validated (on our) drugs watch list, although there has never been any drug case filed against him… It’s his right to run (for the post),” Abad said.

“If I’m really what some people say I am, my villagemates, who know me better that those who try to link me to the shabu trade or illegal drugs, won’t vote for me,” said De Leon, who is up against four other rivals for the post, including the incumbent barangay chairman, Fred Bautista.

De Leon, who claimed his fortune came from palay trading, said he suspects that his name cropped up in the list of suspected drug pushers due to his previous stint as an asset of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

“I think somebody else must be using my name, maybe some of those whom I helped dismantle or other drug groups,” he said.

He said he is ready to undergo a drug test anytime to prove he has never been into prohibited drugs.