"Drug session" at Capitol probed

CEBU, Philippines - The Provincial Capitol is now tracking down two employees who were allegedly doing drugs at the Capitol building Thursday dawn.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia immediately ordered an investigation on the incident which allegedly involved Cirilo “Jun-jun” Abrenica, Administrative Officer VI of the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), and Cyril Solita, a Capitol laborer, as the culprits.

Capitol head guard Servillano Angcay said a young lady was also involved in the alleged pot session.

Security guards Rosalio Tigle and Roel Ilustrisimo allegedly caught the illegal activity inside the PPDO office.

Based on the incident report, Angcay said Tigle and Ilustrisimo were manning the main entrance of the Capitol building at Barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City when Abrenica appeared at around 11:40 pm and asked permission to get inside to get some stuff at the PPDO.

Tigle and Ilustrisimo permitted him to enter the building.

Around 10 minutes later, Solita, along with the young woman, arrived and asked permission from both guards to let his companion use the comfort room.

The guards again gave their permission and allowed Solita and the woman to get inside the Capitol building “to use the comfort room.”

Angcay further narrated that about 20 minutes later, Solita returned but was already alone. He alleged that the Capitol laborer casually said that his female companion would just go down in a few minutes.

Angcay said this made the two guards suspicious, prompting them to check upstairs.

Tigle and Ilustrisimo went to check the comfort room at the second floor but they did not find the woman.

They proceeded to the PPDO office and there they saw Abrenica and the woman inside, “having a drug session”. Angcay said the two got so surprised upon seeing the guards and immediately ran away, leaving behind the guards who allegedly failed to catch the suspects during a brief chase.

Asked how the two suspects managed to escape considering that there was only one door at the PPDO, Angcay already refused to answer and told reporters to just wait for the investigation.

Tigle and Ilustrisimo made a spot report and submitted it to Bernard Calderon, officer-in-charge of the Provincial General Services Office.

Calderon then forwarded to Provincial Administrator Eduardo Habin the list of evidence recovered from the PPDO office as mentioned in the spot reports of both guards which included drug paraphernalia such as two pieces of lighter. They also recovered two pieces of sim pack, cellular phone, a cutter, a bunch of keys, a padlock, a polo shirt (uniform), and a pair of black shoes.

Garcia called up Habin in a brief meeting yesterday afternoon about the incident.

In an interview with The FREEMAN, Habin said the governor ordered for an investigation.

Habin said the Committee on Discipline and Investigation headed by lawyer Lito Astillero will conduct the investigation.

The investigation will include confirming the alleged pot session. The pieces of evidence are now at Habin’s custody.

Habin said Tigle and Ilustrisimo might also have liabilities as they allowed anyone, even a Capitol employee, to get inside the Capitol building beyond office hours.

“There is a standing memorandum that nobody can come here beyond office hours, which is 6 pm, except Capitol heads like us,” Habin said.

Abrenica worked at the Capitol since March 2000 while Solita has worked at the same office since October 1998. The two no longer reported for work yesterday, apparently evading arrest. (FREEMAN)