USDEA commends PNP for Pasig raid

The US Drug Enforcement Agency (USDEA) has commended the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operation Task Force (AIDSOTF) for stopping the operation of a compound openly selling shabu in Pasig City last Friday.

"Once again your team is leading the path in fighting the war against drugs," said PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil as he read the message from the USDEA.

AIDSOTF is headed by Director Marcelo Ele Jr., current chief of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management.

In a briefing at Camp Crame yesterday, Bataoil said the PNP and AIDSOTF would further intensify the campaign against illegal drugs following the dismantling of a the shabu market that sells drugs even to minors.

Bataoil said the PNP Crime Laboratory tested 257 persons of the 313 rounded up in the raid at the compound in Sitio Mapayapa, Barangay Sto. Tomas, just a few blocks away from Pasig City-Police Community Precinct 20.

Of the 257 people tested, 145 were found positive for drug use.

PNP chief Director General Arturo Lomibao was dismayed over the discovery of the shabu "flea market" in Pasig City, where people could buy shabu for P10.

President Arroyo has ordered the PNP to intensify the campaign against illegal drugs and all other forms of criminality.

"The President has ordered an all out war against illegal drug trade, especially in Metro Manila, sparing no politician or police officials. She has directed General Lomibao, AIDSOTF and the National Capital Region Police Office to widen the scope of the investigation into the Pasig City drug den," Bataoil said.

Lomibao has ordered directors in other police regions to conduct parallel anti-drug operations.

"So starting today, we are expecting our field commanders to carry out anti-illegal drug drives," said Bataoil, who added that the PNP will adopt a "reduction of supply and demand" strategy in the war on illegal drugs.

He said the PNP is concentrating on high-profile street level operations, just like in Pasig City.

He explained that in supply reduction, the PNP would intensify the campaign against drug pushers and manufacturers by raiding and dismantling shabu laboratories in the country.

"In demand reduction, the PNP together with other sectors of the society, business, religious, youth organizations and other non-government organizations will carry out a dialogue to come up with programs to keep people away from drugs," the PNP spokesman said.

Bataoil said the PNP is also checking on the activities and programs of the Pasig’s City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC) to determine what its has done to address the drug problem in the city.

Bataoil said CADAC, headed by the vice mayor, is supposed to be in charge of handling the programs and implementing measures to address the drug problem while the police serve as the operating and investigating arm.

Bataoil, however, refused to disclose whether Pasig City police Senior Superintendent Raul Medina and Eastern Police District director Chief Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela will be among those to be relieved following the discovery of the drug compound.

He stressed that the anti-illegal drug campaign remained a top priority when Lomibao assumed his post after the retirement of his predecessor PNP chief Edgar Aglipay, who had been active in the war on drugs.

"No, it did not die down. In 2005, there were 12 shabu laboratories shut down under Gen. Lomibao. The effort is continuing, now that we have dismantled these laboratories," he said.

3 cops protecting shabu compound?

Agents of the police Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) are looking into reports that three Pasig City policemen had been acting as protectors of the shabu "tiangge’ raided last Friday, resulting in the arrest of 313 people, including women and minors.

AIDSOTF commander Director Marcelo Ele Jr. said the names of the three policemen cropped up during the actual raid on the Mapayapa compound in Barangay Sto. Tomas as well as the tactical interrogation of the arrested suspects and the intelligence reports his office has been receiving.

While Ele refused to reveal the names of the three Pasig City policemen, he vowed to "get into the bottom of their involvement in the raided drug den."

" We are in the process of checking their present assignments so we can invite them for questioning in the coming days," Ele told The Star.

Upon orders of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Arturo Lomibao, Ele said he is conducting a thorough probe on the alleged involvement of local government, barangay and police officials in the operations of the raided drug "tiangge" while Metro police chief Director Vidal Querol is looking at the culpability of Pasig City police chief Senior Superintendent Raul Medina and Eastern Police District (EPD) director Chief Supt. Oscar Valenzuela.

Ele said among those arrested were employees of City Hall and the local court.

The raided drug lair is only half a kilometer away from the City Hall compound and the EPD headquarters along Caruncho Avenue.

Ele and Querol would separately start their probe today.

So far, at least 19 policemen from the PCP 20, Pasig City and EPD anti-drug units were relieved because of the incident. The ranking police official sacked was Senior Superintendent Salvador de la Cruz, head of the PCP 20 of the Pasig police.

The 257 adults arrested are now detained at the PNP custodial cell while the 56 minors were turned over to the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Pasig City.

Chief Superintendent Ernesto Belen, crime laboratory director said of the 257 adults subjected to drug testing, 145 of them, including 20 women, tested positive for shabu. Results of the drug tests on the arrested minors are still pending for documentation, Belen said.

Ele said the drug "tiangge" is located on a 600-square meter lot housing 64 shanties along F. Soriano street in Barangay Sto. Tomas.

Each shanty has an area where clients can buy or use shabu.

As part of the drug den’s security measure, the operator, a certain Dario, posts a closed-circuit TV camera near a small walkway leading to the compound.

"The camera serves as an early warning device for those running the drug den," said Superintendent Jojo Acierto, leader of the AIDSOTF raiding team.

Acierto said Dario escaped during the raid. Ele has ordered a manhunt for the suspect.

Acierto admitted receiving reports that the three policemen tagged as protectors of Dario were often seen at the compound.

"The three local policemen frequented the compound and we are now in the process of knowing why," he said, noting that it took them only a week and two test-buys to effect the raid.

Ele said they are also investigating the culpability of Sto. Tomas acting barangay chairman Jesus Viray, who up to now remains missing. They will also ask two barangay councilmen to explain why they left the area at the height of the raid.

Ele, a lawyer, explained that under the law, the raid must be witnessed by barangay officials.

Despite the absence of Viray and his two councilmen, however, City Prosecutor Noel Paz, Councilman Danny Orboveza and watchmen Jay-R Alangca, Jun Barroga and Agapito Mercado as well as mediamen were around to witness the raid.

The AIDSOTF chief said he will refer to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) the cases against Viray and his two councilmen.