DILG Sec. Sueno said they hope to revive the concept of Alsa Masa to make citizens all over the country involved in anti-crime efforts.
The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte hopes to revive Alsa Masa (rising of the m(–foul word(s) removed–)) to involve more citizens in its campaign against illegal drugs.
Alsa Masa is a defunct anti-communist vigilante group based in Davao City. It is a group association with the death squads in Davao.
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Ismael “Mike” Sueno said that the revival of Alsa Masa is intended to make citizens more involved in the governments anti-crime efforts but in a peaceful, not violent way.
He emphasized it is not vigilantism but rather, volunteerism which the government intends to foster in invoking the concept of Alsa Masa.
As he spoke to the members of the members of the Appropriations Committee of the House of the Representatives on a hearing on the DILG’s Budget, Sueno said: “We will institute volunteerism. Maybe this organization can also come up with what needs to be implemented in the barangay level”.
Sec. Sueno added that they intend to name the group Mamamasid or Mamamayaw Ayaw sa Anomaliya at Illegal na Droga.
“We will launch this concept in the middle of this month”, he said.
In effect, the invoking of the Alsa Masa will afford the national government extra eyes and ears in the grassroots levels as the Duterte administration pursues its sustained and relentless campaign against the proliferation of drugs in the street level.
The ‘new concept’ of Alsa Masa will be a group composed of concerned citizens who want a drug-free community which will gather intelligence that will be presented to the Philippine National Police, which in turn will do the investigation and carry out necessary arrests and seizures.
Sec. Sueno refuted the claims of some lawmakers that the organization is being envisioned might only duplicate the functions of other anti-drug agencies of government, like the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), saying there has yet no allocation made for the project.