Alegria brgy tanod faces drug charges

CEBU, Philippines - A barangay tanod of Poblacion, Alegria, is facing charges before the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office for allegedly having in possession a plastic sachet of shabu and drug paraphernalia.

 SPO1 Join Caballero, chief investigator of Alegria Police Station, charged Prisciliano Mauro Bajo alyas “John” or “Baluntoy”, 37, for violation of Article II, Section 11 and 12 of Republic Act 9165 otherwise known as Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

 PO1 Canesio Amatril, Jr. and PO1 Kenneth Aviso, arresting officers, said that on April 9, 2014 at about 11 a.m. they conducted an intelligence patrol at Sitio Sta. Rosa, Barangay Poblacion together with Police Senior Inspector Ronilo Macasilhig, in line with their campaign against illegal drugs.

 Their subject was a certain Hadji Hijara, an alleged drug pusher. According to them Hijara together with a certain “John” or “Baluntoy,” his alleged right hand, transferred their venue of their packing/repacking of shabu after sensing the ongoing drug intelligence monitoring in Alegria.

In their joint-affidavit, the police said they went to Sitio San Roque after they received information that Hijara and his right hand were seen in the area.

 Amatril and Aviso said that they also asked the name of a man who was sitting on a bamboo bench, after they noticed that he was acting suspiciously. The man was later identified as Prisciliano Bajo who suddenly left the area with a black backbag.

“Bajo suspiciously went to a nearby vacant hut and we observed that he suspiciously and uneasily placed the bag at the back of the vacant hut,” the police said, adding they followed him and seized the bag and invited Bajo to the police station.

 In the police station, they requested Bajo to open the bag which showed assorted drug paraphernalia.

The police then placed Bajo under arrest for illegal possession of drugs paraphernalia and apprised him of his constitutional rights.

 During inventory, the police requested the presence of barangay officials as their witnesses.

 â€œThat during the conduct of the itemized inventory and inspection of all seized items by PO2 Francis Lenard Cabahug, still in the presence of barangay captain Jerome Rodriguez and councilwoman Imelda Tarongoy and all PNP personnel earlier mentioned, we saw the battery compartment of the portable DVD remote control opened by Cabahug, has one piece small plastic sachet containing crystalline power believed to be shabu,” the police said. The crystalline powder was then subsequently turned-over to the PNP Crime Laboratory for examination and the result shows that it was indeed shabu.  (FREEMAN)