Drug raps up vs town council secretary

By: Jennifer P. Rendon

CRIMINAL charges were filed against a town council secretary who was wounded in an anti-illegal drugs operation on Sept 6, 2019 in Sara, Iloilo.

James “Jaguar” Balsomo I, Sangguniang Batan secretary of Sara, was slapped with charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002), violation of Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act), and attempted homicide.

Police Major Jonathan Pinuela, chief of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office-Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (IPPO-PDEU), said the charges were filed before the Iloilo Provincial Prosecutors Office.

Balsomo is presently confined at the Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital for wounds he suffered in a purported shootout with police.

Pinuela said Balsomo, an alleged drug group leader, was shot after he engaged policemen in a gunfight during a buy-bust operation in front of the municipal hall 12 p.m. Friday.

After the fall of Banda Drug Group and the Balume Drug Group, Pinuela alleged that Balsomo took over the illegal drug operations in Iloilo’s fifth district.

Balsomo is considered a high-value target (HVT) level 2 drug personality. He is also on the PNP Directorate for Intelligence (DI) list and had been a subject of Oplan Tokhang.

(Photo Courtesy of Getty Images)