Mandaluyong dentist caught in drug bust

A dentist of the Mandaluyong City Health Office and a companion were arrested last Wednesday while in the act of sniffing shabu inside an abandoned house in the city.

Superintendent Ericson Velasquez, local police chief, identified the suspects as Melardo Liwanag, 42, dentist, of 771 P. Gomez street, and Gerald Francisco, 29, jobless, of 560 P. Burgos street, both in Barangay Hagdang Bato Itaas.

After being told by Velasquez of the duo’s arrest, Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. ordered the immediate filing of appropriate charges against Liwanag and Francisco.

"File the necessary charges against Liwanag and his companion to show to all the people of Mandaluyong City that we mean business in our campaign against illegal drugs," Abalos said in his directive to Velasquez.

According to Velasquez, a concerned citizen tipped him off of the ongoing pot session at an abandoned house located in the corner of P. Gomez and P. Burgos street, in Barangay Hagdang Bato Itaas at about 5:30 p.m. last Wednesday.

Accompanied by a police informant, Velasquez’ men went to the said location and caught Liwanag with an improvised tooter still in his mouth while holding an aluminum foil with white chrystalline substance.

The raiders claimed Liwanag initially identified himself as a member of the Police Civil Relations Group (PCRG) in Camp Crame and tried to resist arrest.

He and Francisco were eventually whisked to police headquarters where he was identified as a dentist of the local health office.

Police recovered from the suspects a sachet containing shabu, three used foil strips, two lighters and a tooter.

Liwanag and Francisco refused to issue any statement regarding their arrest.

They joined the list of more than 50 drug pushers and users arrested by Velasquez since he assumed the top post of the Mandaluyong City police force last July 1.

Because of the decisiveness of his drive against criminality, especially on illegal drugs, Velasquez earned the confidence of Abalos.

The mayor threw his full support on Velasquez, who is in the thick of his campaign to make the remaining 12 drug-influenced barangays "drug-free."

Liwanag and Francisco are detained at the Mandaluyong City detention center while drug charges are being readied against them before the city’s prosecutor’s office. – Non Alquitran