Former barangay chief, partner arrested in drug bust

CEBU, Philippines - Ex-barangay captain Ronnie Democrito and partner Vivian Fajardo were arrested at Virgin Island, Barangay Antonio Yusay during a drug buy-bust at around 1:00 a.m. yesterday.

Operatives from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-6 and members of the Philippine Army’s 301st Infantry Brigade, arrested the couple, and seized from them four sachets of shabu worth P60,000.

Democrito was a village head of Juaneza, Sara in 1988. He and Fajardo had a child, although both of them were separated from their respective married spouses.

The couple however denied involvement in the illegal drugs trade, claiming they were sleeping when the operatives barged in.

Democrito admitted that he was using illegal drugs until four months ago where he already stopped. He surrendered through TokHang last month. He however was mum on where he bought the drugs he used.

Fajardo also denied any links to the illegal drug trade and accused the operatives of planting the evidence against them. The allegedly seized drugs were found in a container where she kept her child’s feeding bottles. “If these were true, I would not be stupid to place them there,” she said.

Fajardo admitted to have used illegal drugs and only stopped after she got separated from her husband, who she said influenced her to get hooked and was peddling shabu early last year..

It turned out however that her husband was arrested in March 2015 for drugs and had been detained at Iloilo Provincial Integrated Jail in Pototan, Iloilo. (FREEMAN)