Kagawad, seven others nabbed for selling overpriced alcohol, face masks

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Eight persons, including a village councilman, were arrested in separate entrapment operations here this week for allegedly selling overpriced and unlabeled alcohol and face masks.

Police Chief Master Sergeant Ramiro Gocotano, officer-in-charge of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Bacolod, said that they learned the activities of some of the suspects through online selling of alcohol.

The operation was conducted at B.S. Aquino Drive in Barangay Villamonte on March 28 which resulted in the apprehension of Mary Grace Alojipan, 43, a government employee, Kagawad Janice Fernandez, 48, and George Chua, 55, all residents of Barangay Poblacion 1, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental; and Bacolod resident Ricardo Uy, 52, of Barangay 17.

Gocotano said Alojipan was the subject of the operation after they received information that she was selling alcohol online.

Gocotano said they made a deal with her to buy 25 containers of alcohol.

Chua and Uy met the undercover cops on board a Ford Ranger pick-up.

Alojipan was tailing the pick-up vehicle on board a Toyota Wigo driven by Fernandez.

Gocotano said that 49 containers of ethyl alcohol worth P130,000, and the fake marked money were recovered from the four suspects.

A container is filled with 18 liters of alcohol allegedly sold at P3,900 each, which is expensive than the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) suggested retail price (SRP) of P2,673 per container or P148.50 per liter.

He said that 43 containers were confiscated from the pick-up truck while six others were recovered from the barangay official’s vehicle.

The alcohol also posed risk to buyers because it was not properly processed for public use.

“It’s not refined,” he added.

The suspects alleged that they got the items from another supplier here.

“They’ve been selling it for a week now, following the global crisis brought by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),” Gocotano added.

Also arrested that day at Libertad Market in Barangay 40 were online sellers John Earl Sycay, 30, of Barangay Singcang-Airport, and Jimboy Valencia, 28, of Barangay Alangilan.

CIDG operatives seized from the two suspects 23 bottles of unlabeled alcohol allegedly sold at P350 per liter, fake or boodle marked money, another eight liters of unlabeled aclohol, and a motorcycle.

Gocotano said unlabeled alcohol lack codes, DTI permit, and were not approved by the Department of Health (DOH) as medical product.

On March 25,  Estrellita Galimba, 43, of Barangay 14 was arrested outside a department store at Araneta Avenue in Barangay 15, for allegedly selling 30 plastic bottles of unlabeled alcohol allegedly sold at P350 per liter, higher than the P74.25 per 500 mL SRP.

On March 20, Criselda Toreta, 31, of Barangay Handumanan was arrested at Barangay 15 for allegedly selling overpriced surgical face masks. Police recovered from her 80 disposable face masks worth P8,000, the P100 marked money, P1,000 boodle money, 11 face masks sold at P100 each, and 40 empty unlabeled bottles to be used for alcohol refill.

Gocotano said that all suspects are now in the custody of CIDG-Bacolod and will be facing charges for violation of the Republic Act 7581 or The Price Act.