7 cops face charges for drug use

CEBU, Philippines- At least seven police officers in Central Visayas who were found positive of illegal drugs are now facing administrative charges before the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division.

Out of the 687 policemen under Police Regional Office-7 who were subjected to both surprise and random drug testing from January to August this year, seven of them tested positive of shabu.

Deputy chief of the Regional Intelligence Division, Superintendent Rex Derilo disclosed that four of the police officers are from RID and each of the rest was from the police offices of Bohol, Mandaue and Cebu province.

None of the 61 police officials tested positive, he said.

Derilo said there are still police offices and police units to be subjected to the drug test, saying that this is a continuous program.

This year, eight administrative charges have been forwarded to RIDMD office pending summary hearing.

PRO-7 director Prudencio Bañas directed the “internal cleansing,” wherein policemen found engaging in illegal drugs by either protecting or coddling drug activities will face both administrative and criminal charges.

Superintendent Henry Biñas, deputy chief of RIDMD, said that at least 27 policemen have been dismissed from the service from 2011 to 2013.

Eight of them were from Cebu City, seven were from Negros and another seven from Cebu, four from Bohol, and one from Siquijor.

“Most of the cases were drug using. So far, it was only the cop in Borbon (PO2 Bernardito Almieda) who was found coddling illegal drugs,” Biñas said.

Almieda was arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by the Provincial Intelligence Branch of the Cebu Provincial Police Office last month.

He was reportedly protecting drugs from a known drug pusher, Jongjong Cabahug.

Criminal charges for Section 5 of Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 was filed in court against the said police officer. —/NSA) (FREEMAN)