Drugbusters ready raps vs Pasig barangay chief

Another barangay chairman from Pasig City is in hot water for his alleged inaction against the rampant peddling of shabu.

Officers of the police Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) are set to file administrative and anti-graft and corrupt practices charges against chairman Jaime de Leon of Barangay Pineda following a raid that resulted in the arrest of a dozen people last Friday.

AIDSOTF commander Director Marcelo Ele Jr. said he is now coordinating with the Ombudsman and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to investigate De Leon for negligence.

"It’s now up to him to explain his side before the Ombudsman and the DILG," Ele said.

De Leon was not around when combined elements of AIDSOTF and the Pasig City police conducted simultaneous raids Friday on four houses in the barangay. A total of 42 sachets of shabu and four firearms were seized in the operation.

"Unfortunately, the chairman of Barangay Pineda who was supposed to be the principal witness during the raid was nowhere to be found," Ele said.

De Leon joins Chairman Jesus Viray of Barangay Sto. Tomas in the list of barangay officials being investigated by the Ombudsman and the DILG for their inaction against illegal drugs.

Viray was also not around when an AIDSOTF team stormed the shabu "market" in Barangay Sto. Tomas last Feb. 10. More than 300 people were arrested in the operation.

The Barangay Pineda raiders, headed by Superintendent Leonardo Suan of the AIDSOTF’s Special Operations Unit 5, swooped down on four houses in Barangay Pineda at about 1:30 p.m. last Friday.

Ele noted that the houses were some 300 meters away from the barangay hall. One house was 10 meters away from Police Community Precinct 18 (PCP-18).

Chief Superintendent Ernesto Belen, director of the Philippine National Police crime laboratory, reported yesterday that eight of the 12 arrested suspects tested positive of shabu.

They were identified as Rodel Yabut, Antonio Intalan, Jose Roxas, Earl Aralar, Alvin Galuzo, Ronnie Salandanan, Jojo de Leon and Anchor Laurel.

The others — Anita Pirote, Ricky de Leon, Reuben Pirote and Jayjay Martinez — tested negativ. They are set to be released from AIDSOTF custody.

Ele said the barangay chairman is a relative of one of the suspected drug peddlers.

One of the big-time drug pushers, a certain Yoyong Pirote, who was the subject of the search warrant issued by Judge Natividad Dizon of the Quezon City regional trial court, managed to elude arrest.

Suan recovered more than 10 grams of shabu from the vault where Pirote kept his supply of illegal drugs.

"We will file criminal charges against Pirote based on the illegal drugs and paraphernalia seized from his house," Ele said.

The AIDSOTF chief said he ordered the raid on the four houses following complaints from concerned residents about the illegal activities of the suspects.

"Matagal na naming ipinarating kay chairman ang problema pero wala siyang ginawang hakbang," one local resident said.

Ele said among those monitored frequenting the place were students of nearby schools and drug users who were regulars at the dismantled shabu market in Sto. Tomas.

Job well done

Eusebio congratulated yesterday the officers who swooped down on a neighborhood in Pasig the other day and arrested 12 suspects.

"I congratulate the combined forces of AIDSOTF, EPD and the Pasig police for the successful anti-drug operations in Barangay Pineda," Eusebio said in a press statement.

"Let me state for the record that this humble representation issued a memorandum to Senior Superintendent Romeo Abaring, Pasig City police officer-in-charge, relative to the illegal activities of drug pushers in Barangay Pineda after we received information that the pusher in the area was being protected by a certain police officer."

Eusebio, however, declined to identify the police officer.

"With this development, great appreciation should be extended to the police operatives for their prompt action in stamping out the illegal drug trade in the area," Eusebio said. — With Sandy Araneta