67 fall in CCPO's weekly roundup

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City police continued operations against all forms of illegality and violations, arresting 67 persons in the latest weekly roundup.

Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) and 12 of its police stations together seized over P500,000 worth of illegal drugs.

Chief Inspector Christopher Navida, head of CCPO-City Intelligence Branch, said that one of the significant arrests for the 51st weekly roundup was that of Elmer Ollamas, 26, a resident of Barangay Pit-os.

Ollamas allegedly resisted arrest and tried shooting it out with arresting officers from Talamban Police Station.

Officers returned fire and hit the suspect.

Ollamas was rushed to the nearest hospital for immediate medical attention prior to the filing of appropriate charges.

Navida said that changes in command will not hamper operations in CCPO.

"Regardless na magkaroon ng reshuffle patuloy ang program," Navida said.

The CCPO director is currently studying overseas and Police Senior Superintendent Julian Entoma has been supervising the weekly operations.

In Talisay City

Meanwhile, a councilman of Barangay Tangke in Talisay City was arrested together with four others in a buy-bust operation conducted in Sitio Tunga of the same barangay on Wednesday afternoon.

Barangay Tangke councilman Romeo Santillan, 38, was arrested along with Chuck Filoteo 32, Charlie Obrero, 41, Danny Racaza, 22, and Neil Cabardo, 35.

Senior Police Officer 2 Yvonne Ilustrisimo of Talisay City Police Station said that during the operation, Filoteo, who was the subject of the operation, was the one who completed the transaction with a police operative.

After the transaction was completed, police then saw Santillan running towards the second floor of the house where they conducted the operation. They chased him and then caught Obrero, Racaza and Cabardo in the act of sniffing illegal drugs.

Police recovered 18 packs of suspected shabu from Filoteo's possession, while two triangular packs and a 9mm caliber firearm were recovered from Santillan.

In an interview with Santillan, he said that the packs of illegal drugs were planted by police, although he admits that the firearm was his.

The other four arrested refused to be interviewed.

Outgoing Talisay police chief Jason Villamater said that Santillan is a former drug surrenderer, but this was denied by Santillan.

The illegal drugs recovered weighed an estimated 6 grams, worth about P26,800.

The five are now detained at the Talisay City Police Station, pending the filing of appropriate charges.

In Liloan

In Liloan town, three persons were arrested in two simultaneous buy-bust operations on Wednesday afternoon in Barangays Yati and San Vicente, with police yielding almost P60,000 worth of suspected shabu.

Police Chief Inspector Randy Korret, Liloan police chief, identified those arrested as Connie Catayas, 33, and his cohort, Melton Cabilin, 24, both residents of Barangay Yati. In a separate operation, police arrested a certain Jay-R Daitol, 31, a resident of Barangay San Vicente.

The operatives were able to confiscate a total of 22 small packs and three medium packs of suspected shabu from the suspects with estimated Dangerous Drug Board value of P57,500.

Korret said that the suspects were newly identified drug personalities and were under surveillance for almost a month before they conducted the buy-bust operations.

Upon verifying the background of the suspects, operatives discovered that Catayas has a pending warrant of arrest for theft in Mandaue City.

All the recovered evidence from the suspects were turned over to the custody of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for proper disposition, while the three arrested suspects are now temporarily detained at the Liloan Police Station.

They will be charged for violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. —JBB (FREEMAN)