January 22, 2000 NEWS RELEASE

The country's local government units will start in two weeks time a nationwide campaign to post in town plazas, barangay halls, and other conspicuous public places the names and pictures of drug dealers, in support of the Estrada administration's all-out war against the drug menace.

The leadership of the 1.2 million-strong Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) headed by Laguna Gov. Joey Lina has agreed to launch the posting campaign, among a series of measures in the intensified anti-illegal drug efforts of LGUs, to complement Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Alfredo Lim's spray-painting drive, according to ULAP information director Angel Tugado.

Tugado, however, stressed that the ULAP, the confederation of all local officials from governors down to barangay leaders, has stopped short of adopting on a nationwide scale Lim's "shame campaign" that has stirred controversy among local executives who remain split over the spray-painting drive.

In a recent ULAP meeting in Manila to discuss Lim's spray-painting drive, governors, mayors and other key local officials were divided on whether to adopt Lim’s controversial drive but they unanimously agreed to a proposal made by Lina for LGUs to go on a posting campaign instead.

Procedures on the nationwide posting drive will be finalized this week although ULAP officials have agreed that the list to be posted in conspicuous places will include the pictures and names not only of convicted drug pushers but also of persons arrested and charged for illegal drugs.

"The list, to be continually updated, will contain mere statement of facts just like in any matter of public record available in court and police files that are open to the public," Lina explained.

The posting drive forms part of a series of measures LGUs adopted in a renewed and intensified campaign to help the government's all-out war against illegal drugs. Other measures include providing full support by local officials, through identification and surveillance of drug dealers, to strengthen the five pillars of the criminal justice system—police, prosecution, judiciary, correctional institution, and the community.

Other measures include urging the DILG to cleanse the police ranks, particularly the Narcom, of scalawags, and the monitoring of drug cases filed by the police and those pending in offices of fiscals and the courts in a bid to flush out anomalies and "fixed" cases.

ULAP has also formed a committee to review pending bills in Congress and to push for the early passage of laws including amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act that will significantly reduce the minimum amount of illegal drugs to automatically deny bail for those arrested for possession.

In the recent Manila meeting of local officials that included about 50 governors, the ULAP leadership decided to individually refer Lim’s controversial spray-painting drive to all member leagues for further study and evaluation, on a motion by League of Provinces national chairman and Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Villafuerte.

Another proposal that surfaced in the ULAP meeting is the distribution to households of copies of updated lists with pictures of persons involved, as recommended by Pateros Mayor Jose Capco of the League of Municipalities. The proposal is still being reviewed.

Lim has sought the assistance of the Leagues of Provinces, Cities, and Municipalities—all belonging to the ULAP confederation—but his call for nationwide support for the spray-painting campaign has generated mixed reactions from local officials.

Citing human rights considerations, the spray-painting campaign has stirred controversy and some outspoken local officials have decided against it, including Cebu Gov. Pablo Garcia who said the drive is a violation of privacy and could even be a "crime of malicious mischief" and that exposing a person to public ridicule "is a cruel and unusual punishment and is not part of penalties the law provides."

While North Cotabato Gov. Manny Pinol said his province fully supports Lim’s campaign, Negros Gov. Rafael Coscolluella said he would advise his mayors to keep the campaign out of his province.

ULAP consists of all leagues of local officials spanning the entire hierarchy of local officialdom from governors down to barangay leaders. It was formed in 1998 by officials of the Leagues of Provinces, Cities, and Municipalities, Vice-Governors’ League, Vice-Mayors’ League, Provincial Board Members’ League, Philippine Councilors’ League, Lady Local Legislators’ League, National Movement for Young legislators, Liga ng mga Barangay and Pederasyon ng Sangguniang Kabataan.