CIIB operatives deny allegation on illegal search

Operatives from the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch of the city police have denied conducting a search inside the house of a woman during their illegal drug operation in barangay Lorega-San Miguel.

Although admitting that they conducted a buy-bust operation in sitio Lumar on Thursday, the CIIB members claimed that they did not do any search inside the house of Emiliana Luayon because their subject had managed to escape.

The other day, Luayon, 42, filed a complaint before the Internal Affairs Service in the Cebu City Police Office over the reported loss of her wedding ring when five policemen in plainclothes illegally searched her house for illegal drugs.

She said the policemen accused her of being a drug pusher without any legal basis.

SPO1 Felomino Mendaros of the CIIB told The FREEMAN on Thursday that they were doing saturation drive near the area when a police informant called him through his cell phone to report about a lady drug pusher named "Ging-Ging."

The woman reportedly lives at Luayon's house, prompting policemen to give the informer P200 to be used as buy-bust money. Few minutes later, the informant returned with a pack of shabu he claimed he bought from "Ging-Ging" at Luayon's residence.

Mendaros, along with PO2 Jonas Tahanlangit and PO2 Antonio Pizarras, then went into the house to arrest the suspect but found Luayon instead.

According to the informer, "Ging-Ging" is short, has dark complexion and chubby, a description that did not fit Luayon's appearance, prompting the policemen to ask her about "Ging-ging's" whereabouts.

"Nagduda naming daan nga dili siya kay pagtan-aw namo dili man gyud mao ang diskripsyon, mao to nanglingkod ra mi didto unya iya ming gi-entertain," Mendaros said.

Mendaros said they did not pursue the search because they believed that "Ging-Ging" had already escaped through the back door of the house.

Luayon, when interviewed by reporters on Friday, accused the policemen of barging into her house to search for drugs. She said they even called her "Ging-ging" when in fact she does not know such person living her house.

She said that the policemen did not even bother to answer her question about their names and from what police unit they belong. The CIIB members, however, left the place empty-handed.

The CIIB is contemplating to include Luayon in the drug case against "Ging-Ging" for allowing a drug pusher to do transactions inside her house as claimed by its police informant. - Edwin Ian Melecio/LPM