22 Manila barangay officials on drug list

MANILA, Philippines — Two barangay captains and at least 20 councilors are under monitoring by the Manila Police District (MPD) for their alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade.

The barangay captains and councilors are being probed on suspicion of being involved in drugs, MPD director Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon told The STAR yesterday.

Refusing to identify the suspects, Dizon said the barangay officials were named in a list of drug suspects both by police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Dizon earlier dared this year’s candidates for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to undergo drug tests.

President Marcos had signed a law resetting the December 2022 barangay elections to October 2023.

The Manila police came up with another “narco list” of barangay officials from among those elected during the May 2018 local elections.

The PDEA had released a list of 207 barangay officials nationwide suspected of drug involvement, including five captains from Manila.

One of the alleged narco politicians, Barangay 314 captain Aileen Guidotong, was gunned down in the barangay hall by motorcycle-riding assailants on Aug. 9, 2019.

Guidotong’s personal driver, barangay secretary and former councilman Julio Turla, was shot dead in front of the same barangay hall on Aug. 22, 2018.

Barangay 330 chairman Angel Joy Rivero was killed minutes after he attended an anti-drug seminar in Manila on Sept. 13, 2018.

Barangay kagawad Antonio Calma Jr. was gunned down inside the Barangay 484 office on July 2, 2020 also on suspicion of illegal drugs.