Nocppo monitoring 5 cops for ‘protecting’ drug group

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) here is conducting a case build up on five policemen who are continuously under monitoring for allegedly protecting a drug group in Silay City last year.

Police Colonel Romeo Baleros, Nocppo director, in a regular press briefing at the headquarters here yesterday, said that these five non-commissioned police officers were previously assigned at Silay City Police Station in 2018 and are currently assigned at the Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB)-6 in Iloilo City, who are now concentrating on the anti-insurgency operations.

“I don’t want to cover them up by not mentioning the police station because people must be aware of that,” he said. However, he refused to divulge their identities while they are still being investigated.

The relief of these five police officers came even before I assumed as provincial director of Nocppo last January 7 this year, he said. Their relief was for them to cut their connections with the persons involved in drugs, he added.

However, he clarified that these policemen were not involved into recycling of illegal drugs, or even in the illegal drug trade.

Baleros said these policemen were previously relieved in the province because they were identified to be allegedly receiving money from a drug group for its protection, as mentioned by some arrested drug personalities.

“We are still monitoring them and if we can have strong evidence against them, we will have to make the necessary action,” he said.

The five policemen are part of the seven cops who are recently being monitored by the Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 for their alleged involvement in illegal activities. One of the seven policemen has alleged links with the New People’s Army (NPA).

Meanwhile, Baleros reiterated one of his policies which is not to assign police officers to their respective hometowns to prevent them from being sympathetic to those who are liable with the law.

“We will file appropriate charges and we will enforce the full force of the law to them once they will be proven guilty,” he said.