CEBU, Philippines - Two members of the Minglanilla Police Station are now in hot water for being involved in controversies last Friday.
Senior Police Officer 2 Roberto Castro Canencia was arrested after he was allegedly caught sniffing shabu in a drug den in Barangay Tuburan, Danao City.
Meanwhile, SPO1 Florante Capangpangan was accused of punching a customer of a convenience store in Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City.
Chief Insp. Laurel Almirante, chief of Minglanilla Police Station, said he has yet to receive reports of the twin incidents, but vowed to take actions against Canencia and Capangpangan if the reports are verified.
Danao City incident
Canencia was arrested during a buy-bust operation conducted by Personnel of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operation Task Group (RAIDSOTG)-7 Friday night.
The subjects of the buy-bust operation - Marites Perez Dalumpines and Jeshwani Giangan Tabla - were also arrested.
Personnel of RAIDSOTG-7 led by PO3 Ricardo Baclayon, Jr. carried out the operation at Dalumpines’ residence past 6 p.m.
The operation was assisted by the elements of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 and the Danao City Police Station.
Insp. Kenneth Paul Albotra of the RAIDSOTG-7 said a transaction was made with Dalumpines, an alleged level-two drug pusher who can dispose of up to 500 grams of shabu worth P1.5 million a week. Her areas of distribution include the whole northern part of Cebu, Albotra said.
Right after Dalumpines handed over a pack of suspected shabu worth P5,000 to a policeman who acted as poseur-buyer, operatives immediately arrested her inside her house.
Operatives then arrested Tabla and Canencia who were reportedly sniffing shabu inside the house. A resident of Barangay Sabang, Canencia is a native of Davao del Norte.
Five other packs of the illegal substance costing P5,000 each were recovered from Dalumpines’ possession.
Also recovered from her were four cellular phones, the buy-bust money, 15 tin foils, a lighter, and P14,450 cash.
Recovered from Canencia were his service firearm - a Smith and Wesson caliber .38 revolver and a re-loader with six live ammunitions - his personal firearm, an unlicensed KG9 automatic pistol, and his Philippine National Police identification card.
Also recovered from him and Tabla were a digital weighing scale, three cellular phones, a lighter, a scissor, two windpipes, a glass tooter, three tissue paper wicks, three tin foils, a glass burner and P600 cash.
The recovered shabu is now under the custody of the PNP Crime Laboratory-7 for analysis while the firearms are now with the Firearms Explosives Security Service Agency and Guards Supervisory (Fessags) Section.
Police said the suspects did not resist arrest.
Charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against the suspects tomorrow.
Albotra said that aside from using the illegal drugs, a separate case for visiting a drug den will be filed against Canencia.
Canencia and Tabla are currently detained at the Police Regional Office-7 while Dalumpines was detained at the Cebu City Police Office.
The FREEMAN tried to get the side of the suspects at the PRO-7 detention cell but was told that they will be presented to the media today.
Talisay City incident
Capangpangan, who was reportedly drunk, allegedly punched Roby Sayson, a former motorcycle-for-hire driver, inside a convenience store in Barangay Tabunok Friday afternoon.
Sayson, 29 of barangay Tinaan, Naga, reported to the Talisay City Police Station that at around 2 p.m., he and his uncle were inside a convenience store when Capangpangan approached him and asked if he could take him to some place.
Sayson declined, saying he has already stopped using his motorcycle as “habal habal.”
Capangpangan, a resident of barangay Inuburan, Naga, reportedly got irked and punched Sayson in the abdomen.
Sayson then went to the police to report the incident.
Capangpangan denied the allegation, saying he just stayed home the whole Friday, his day off.
Almirante said that once the reports are verified, he will definitely take legal actions against Canencia and Capangpangan even if they are his men.
Although he was assigned as head of the Minglanilla police just two months ago, Almirante described Canencia as a well-performing policeman who is accommodating to public complaints.
Capangpangan, head of the alert team who is also assigned to the Traffic Group, is described as being strict when it comes to his job. – with Liv G. Campo/LPM (FREEMAN)