INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo M. Año on Monday urged barangay officials to activate their respective Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Badac) to help fight the drug menace or face administrative charges.
In a statement, Año said local barangay officials should prove that it is one with President Duterte in the campaign against illegal drugs.
“Act and activate your Badac,” he said.
Año said that as the first line of defense, barangay captains should lead the fight against illegal drugs by activating the Badacs to ensure there is a convergence of efforts among barangay leaders to carry out the anti-illegal drugs campaign in the community level.
If barangay leaders refuse to organize their Badacs or fail to activate their Badacs , Año said they could face administrative charges from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
He said the department is looking at what case or cases will be filed against barangay captains who fail to perform their mandate.
The DILG chief designated Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin Diño to monitor compliance with his directives and to recommend the immediate filing of charges against nonperforming barangay officials.
There are over 42,000 barangays nationwide.
Año said Badac plan, strategize, implement and evaluate programs and projects on drug-abuse prevention in the barangay, as well as organize and orient Badac auxiliary teams on their roles and functions and in formulating a plan of action to address the problem.
The Badacs are also expected to coordinate and collaborate with other institutions like the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the municipal or city government in implementing programs and projects on drug-abuse prevention at the barangay level.
Also, part of Badac’s job is to gather information about drug-related incidents in their respective areas, and list down suspected drug users and pushers in their barangay for submission to the PNP or the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for validation.