No guarantee of blood-free drug war

CEBU, Philippines - Many drug personalities went back to their old ways with the momentary suspension of the police war against illegal drugs and now that it’s back, Central Visayas’ top police official could not assure it won’t be bloody.

“Hindi natin maiiwasan na maging bloody yung ating operation against illegal drugs because of these drug pushers. Talagang inaarmasan nila ang kanilang sarili at ang kanilang mga kasama,” said Police Regional Office-7 Director Noli Taliño at a press conference yesterday.

“We are trying our best na arestuhin sila na walang napapatay pero siyempre kung police naman ang in danger ay lalaban at lalaban ang ating mga police.”

Taliño made the statement after a shootout left three alleged drug pushers dead during a buy-bust operation in Danao City last Tuesday.

In that operation, police recovered two handguns and a high-powered firearm from suspects Julius Gacita, Edwin Oriendo and Dexter Diango after they allegedly traded gunfire with authorities among banana shrubs in Barangay Guinsay.

Police investigation showed that the suspects have hired the services of bodyguards supposedly to protect their business, another angle to be explored in police inquiry.

“Kasi continuous yung kanilang kinikita, kaya nilang mag-hire ng bodyguard,” said Taliño.

The PRO-7 chief also shared the observation of many police stations that many drug suspects rushed back to their illegal activities when the police anti-drug operations were ordered halted in February before getting revived just last week.

“Yun din ang observation ng ibang stations dahil nga doon sa suspension ng campaign natin against illegal drugs sa police, eh naglabasan yung mga drug pushers,” Taliño said.

In Danao City, for example, Senior Inspector Alejandro Batobalonos, chief of the city police, said that based on their watchlist the number of persons suspected to be peddling drugs has increased just a few weeks after the brief suspension.

With the resumption of the crusade, Taliño has once again renewed his directive to all police stations across the region to heighten their individual anti-drug campaigns. However, he made a stern warning to his men never to be complacent as drug personalities, according to him, would choose to fight rather than get arrested.

Taliño said that apart from drugs, police will also boost their crackdown on loose firearms or those that are not registered or with expired licenses.

Details, please

Meanwhile, President Duterte’s recent revelation about Cebu having the highest drug rate in the country came as a surprise to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña who believes Cebu has “done a huge accomplishment” in the fight against drugs.

“I have no indications to validate that because the higher drug rate is one thing. Seventy percent is shocking. So why don’t give us the details? You know, I will be very embarrassed in the City of Cebu if that’s true,” Osmeña said.

The mayor brought up the case of self-confessed drug lord Franz Sabalones, a native of San Fernando town in southern Cebu, to question the credibility of the President’s source of information.

“Based on what (PNP Chief Ronald) Bato (dela Rosa) said, this drug lord in the south implicated our (the city’s) commanders. That, to me, is not obviously credible. Why? You look at it this way: If Sabalones was the drug lord in the south, how come he cannot even implicate one policeman in the south? You’re the drug lord.  I know there’s a lot of policemen there under his control,” he said.

Osmeña likewise commended the efforts of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Cebu City Police Office for continuing their efforts even when he decided to get his hands off the drug fight following the relief of his trusted police officials, including then CCPO director Benjamin Santos and then PRO-7 director Patrocinio Comendador.

Had the two not been sacked from their posts, Osmeña believes more drug lords could have been pursued.

No Letup

Across the province, police operations against suspected drug peddlers continued early this week.

On Tuesday evening, two suspected drug peddlers were injured when police decided to shoot them upon learning that one of them was armed during a buy-bust operation in Sitio Banilad, Barangay Tomonoy, Moalboal town, southern Cebu.

Jemjem Longcob, 18, the subject of the operation,and his companion Jessie Carticiano, 35,were hit in their left legs. Police also arrested a certain Marvin Gabales, 27, who was present during the transaction between a poseur-buyer and the two other suspects.

When police neutralized the two, Gabales attempted to flee. When he was cornered, he allegedly tried to resist arrest but was eventually collared by the authorities, according to Moalboal police chief Sr. Insp. Jose Rovic Villarin.

Police recovered a .38 revolver with ammunition from Carticiano and 47 rolled tin foils inside an alcohol bottle held by Gabales. They also confiscated 96.2 grams of suspected shabu worth P1.1 million from the suspects.

Villarin said three suspects were new players in Moalboal. Their illegal activities flourished during the suspension of Oplan Tokhang and police anti-drug operations.

Villarin added that the suspects were linked to a certain Christian Aquino, a noted dug personality of the town who is still in hiding.

The two injured suspects were brought to Badian District Hospital for immediate treatment and are now detained at the Moalboal Police Station.

In Lapu-Lapu City, live-in partners Juperlito Degamo, 47, and Josedin Sabijon, 40, of Sitio Saging, Barangay Gun-ob were also arrested in a drug bust yesterday morning.

Senior Inspector Alcon Escosura said Degamo yielded 15 sachets of alleged shabu, three P100 bills which served as buy-bust money, and six P100 bills believed to be the proceeds from illegal activities.

The two are new drug personalities in the place, police said.

In Sitio Kalubian, Barangay Bankal, police also arrested Nicanor Pulvera, 32, and Joseph Inot, 29, in a buy-bust operation.

When the police conducted a body search, Pulvera yielded at least 33 small sachets of suspected shabu, three pieces of P100 bills, cash amounting to P750 and a.45 pistol with ammo. The police also recovered from Inot at least 25 small sachets of suspected shabu.  — with Odessa O. Leyson, Ermida Q. Moradas and Garry B. Lao (FREEMAN)