Senator Chiz Escudero dared the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to “name names” and identify politicians supposedly involved in drug activities in the country and not do a “political striptease act.”
“The PDEA should immediately name names. If they have evidence, then they should file the cases asap. What are they waiting for?” Escudero said.
PDEA Director General Undersecretary Arturo Cacdac Jr. had earlier disclosed that 53 politicians were involved in drug activities. He did not elaborate if these politicians were users, pushers, or both.
“PDEA is doing a political striptease act. They should name names so that all the other politicians will not be unfairly alluded to,” the senator said.
Earlier, two former PDEA executives, former directors-general Jose Gutierrez and Dionisio Santiago, were put under investigation for the alleged illegal sale of confiscated chemicals used in the manufacture of illegal drugs.
“Making blanket statements is plainly and simply irresponsible, especially if it involves innocent public servants, the country’s drug enforcement agency, and alleged drug activities,” Escudero said.
The senator said the issue should have been put to rest from the start had the PDEA filed the appropriate cases against the politicians concerned.
“The normal course of action is to file cases in the appropriate courts or government agencies. Unless PDEA does not have evidence, in which case it should have just kept its mouth shut first and quietly built the cases against the suspected perpetrators,” Escudero added.
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Binay told Lagarde that the government’s housing program for the poor was now shifting from single detached units to medium rise buildings.
The Vice President is the Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council.
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ing�B dn Bh�� tions to allocate at least eight percent of their total loan portfolio to micro and small businesses. It also provides access to new technologies and regular entrepreneurship training programs for workers as well as a comprehensive development plan that would ensure the viability and growth of MSMEs in the country.
The Barangay Kabuhayan Act establishes livelihood and skills training centers in the fourth, fifth and sixth class municipalities in the country.
The Agri-Agra Law requires banks to allocate 25% of their loanable funds to the agriculture sector to finance the acquisition of work animals, farm equipment or machinery, seeds, fertilizers, livestock, feeds and/or other similar items for farm production. Of the 25%, 10% should be given to agrarian reform beneficiaries and 15% to the agriculture sector.***
