Concerns about barangay officials who refused to cooperate in the campaign against illegal drugs will be elevated to the Liga ng mga Barangay, while the Sangguniang Panlalawigan eyes a more concrete move to get the barangay leaders moving.

The cooperation sought from barangay officials are actually part of their mandate as public servants, according to Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Abeleon Damalerio.

Damalerio said he would raise the matter to LNB federated president Romulo Cepedoza so that the matter would be tackled by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

This is in response to complaints that the police force implementing search warrants in raids and even in buy-bust operations could hardly convince some barangay officials to cooperate by witnessing the operations and signing the inventory sheets for the confiscated items.

Damalerio also learned that barangay officials have no enough funds for their transportation allowance when they are needed to appear before the court to testify.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan wants to address this concern to improve the efficiency of the campaign against illegal drugs in consonance with the development agenda of the provincial government.

DILG Provincial Director Louisella Lucino earlier warned barangay officials who would refuse to cooperate with the police operations against illegal drugs, that they would be sanctioned.

It is part of the mandate of the barangay officials to witness and sign the inventory sheets during the police operations, Lucino explained.

They are needed as prosecution witnesses in drug cases.

PDEA reported during the August 27 meeting of the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPO) that as of July, they already filed 43 new cases in court, of which four had been dismissed.

On this, the prosecution panel needs the cooperation of all the sectors in the community for drug cases to prosper in court, according to PDEA.