DOJ to Comelec: Junk MAD accreditation

Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said yesterday the country’s anti-drug awareness group Mamamayan Ayaw sa Droga (MAD) should not be allowed to join the May 14 elections for a 52-seat slot in the House of Representatives roll of party-list representatives.

In a four-page letter addressed to Commission on Elections Chairman Alfredo Benipayo, Perez asked that the "inclusion in the party-list system of the group (MAD) be canceled."

MAD president Manuel Ortigas Jr. asked the Comelec on August last year to allow them to join the elections "to represent the objectives on a drug-free environment through a legislative agenda that will result in effective crime prevention."

"The MAD Movement is a government initiative. Public funds and other resources were used to support its activities. It is apolitical, involving the participation of the entire citizenry regardless of their political affiliations in pursuing a common vision of a drug-free Philippines," Perez explained.

Other MAD officials include actor and former Presidential Adviser for Youth and Sports Richard Gomez, who is the group’s chairman, and PNP Deputy Director General Jewel Canson, who sits as the vice chairman. – Delon Porcalla