Four drug informants seek P7.5-M reward

Four civilian informants who helped the police in busting four large shabu laboratories in Metro Manila and the provinces last year are asking the government to expedite the release of their P7.5 million reward.

Director Marcelo Ele Jr., commander of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF), said he is helping the four informants claim their reward to give "more teeth" to the government’s war against drug syndicates.

Ele is hoping that the four informants will be fully paid by the government so that other drug informants would surface to reveal what they know about the remaining drug syndicates operating in the country.

"Kailangan maibigay ang reward para ganahan ang iba pa na lumutang at ituro ang iba pang shabu laboratory sa bansa (The reward money should be given so that other informants would step forward to volunteer information about drug laboratories operating in the country)," the AIDSOTF chief said.

Ele said the four drug informants worked for the neutralization of shabu laboratories in Scout Chuatuco in Quezon City, Antipolo City, Mandaue, Cebu and Davao City where the government confiscated finished products and raw materials for illegal drugs worth billions of pesos.

Under the "Private Eye" program of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), a drug informant is set to receive P1.5 million once a shabu laboratory is busted because of the tip,

Earlier, PDEA Director General Anselmo Avenido claimed his office had paid informants a total of P7.32 million last year. He said all the informants need to do is to comply with all the requirements and a multi-sectoral Rewards Committee would adjudicate all claims.

A number of informants from AIDSOTF have tried to claim their rewards though for years but not one of them has received payment so far.

Ele said they already submitted before the PDEA the requirements needed.

"What I understand is that the documentation were all in," an AIDSOTF official said. "It is now up to the board to decide whether to give the money or not to our informants."

According to Ele, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Arturo Lomibao has thrown his full support to the AIDSOTF drug informants rewards program.

An AIDSOTF official claimed that the four informants are "hopping from one place to another" to evade the wrath of other members of drug syndicates they helped bust.

Ang iba ay may death threat o napilitang humiwalay sa kani-kanilang pamilya at baka madamay pa sa problema (Some of them have been receiving death threats and chose to live separately from their families to keep them from harm)," he said. "Kaya malaking bagay kung makuha nila ang reward na matagal na nilang inasam-asam (So it is important that they receive the reward money)." — Non Alquitran