Cop, two gov’t workers tagged in illegal drugs

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A policeman assigned as an anti-illegal drug operative and two casual employees of the local government here were among the 21 personalities tagged in the illegal drug trade by unidentified perpetrators who dumped two severed hands at Purok Kagaykay, Barangay 2 here last week.

Police Captain Jonito Pastrana, head of Police Station 2, said they had a dialogue with 12 of the 21 personalities listed on a paper that was left with the severed hands in the said area last Jan. 25.

Pastrana said these 12 individuals denied engaging in the illegal drug trade.

He added that they became emotional and told the police that they should be given a chance to change their lives.

Despite this, Pastrana said validation and monitoring of these personalities will continue.

Aside from them, Pastrana said that one of his personnel was also being linked to illegal drugs.

But he denied the allegation, claiming that this particular officer was not involved in the illegal activity.

“Kabudlay man hambalon nga protektor siya, bisan tatlo sa nakalista didto, siya man ang nakadakop,” Pastrana said.

Pastrana said that the police officer is currently schooling for skills enhancement. He also vouched for the integrity of the operative.

“Ako ya ga vouch ko sa credibility ka bata, gina obra niya lang ya iya obra,” Pastrana said, adding that he even advised all his personnel that they should not fear as long as they’re doing what is right.

Pastrana said he already informed the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) and Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 about the said allegation.

“It’s up to them to conduct their own validation,” he added.

“Daw gin insert man lang to ang iya ngalan sa babaw,” Pastrana said. But, he stressed that he’s not covering up for his personnel.

Pastrana said that the police officer received threats because of his work, but he noted that it is just normal, especially for uniformed personnel, particularly those assigned to the campaign against illegal drugs.

“Kis-a ang threat visible, kis-a invisible man, pero mabatyagan na, kag normal lang na,” he said.

Pastrana said that they have forwarded the information to the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Cadac) regarding the allegation against two casual city government employees for them to conduct their own monitoring and validation.

He, however, did not name these personalities while validation is ongoing.

He said that most of the names on the list were residents of Barangay 2, but others have already transferred to other areas, while some of them were previously arrested by various law enforcers.

In the early morning of Jan. 25, a garbage collector found the two severed hands, along with a piece of paper, placed inside a plastic ice cream container.

Pastrana said that a white van was seen dropping by the area early that day and dumped the plastic container, based on a copy of a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera.

But police still have no lead on the identities of the perpetrators, as the CCTV footage is not clear enough to identify them.

He also said that the motive is not yet clear, though he noted that the incident might be intended to instill fear in those involved in illegal drugs.

He said that nobody has surfaced at the police station who can be linked to the incident, adding that they have also not received any report regarding missing individuals.