Provincial police investigating unit questions conduct of operation

The conduct of the anti-illegal drug operation in San Fernando town last Saturday has been questioned for alleged lack of proper coordination with the town's police station.

Inspector Rolando Ong, chief of the Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group, and PO3 Gerly Salimbangon were asked to explain for their failure to coordinate with the town police on the matter.

SPO1 Kenneth Abella, investigator of the Provincial Investigation Detection and Management Branch, issued the memorandum asking Ong and Salimbangon to explain some points of the drug bust in question.

The memorandum was issued under the authority of Supt. Teofilo Siclot, PIDMB chief, and Sr. Supt. Carmelo Valmoria, Cebu Provincial Police Office director.

Salimbangon was reportedly the team leader of the drug operation, which also led to the arrest of drug suspect Erwin Bacalso, a resident of sitio Lacaron at barangay Pitalo in San Fernando town last March 3.

He and Ong were ordered to submit their written explanations within 48 hours of notice to the PIDMB office, after which an investigation will be conducted on the case.

The items questioned were the following: 1) Bacalso, the suspect, was not taken to the nearest jail of a police station but detained instead in Minglanilla Police detention cell at 10 p.m. that day; 2) the detention of Bacalso was allegedly not recorded also in the police blotter;

3) Based on the San Fernando Police blotter (entry number 1011 at 7 p.m. and entry number 1012, both on March 3), the arresting policemen failed to mention the exact and specific section or violation of the arrested Bacalso, as required by law;

4) The arresting team allegedly failed or never presented to the San Fernando Police desk officer on-duty, the buy-bust money, and the actual and exact quantity of the seized illegal drugs.

5) The arresting officers allegedly did not insist also to have the confiscated evidence recorded in the blotter-an act that might be deemed anomalous and illegal.

Ong, for his part, told reporters yesterday that the operatives detained Bacalso in Minglanilla because the jail of the San Fernando Police was already full and could no longer accept and accommodate the suspect for the purpose.

He said the operatives deemed it wise not to inform beforehand the town police about the drug bust because a single text message from anyone to inform the suspect about it could result in failure of the operation.

Coordination could be done with the town police and any seized evidence could be presented better after the operation, he said.

Ong said the operatives have already filed charges against Bacalso and that the seized evidence was still sent for examination to the Crime Laboratory, so the facts such as the weight of the suspected drugs, could not be determined and stated yet at this time.

He added that the buy-bust money would better be not presented to the desk officer, citing instances in other cases in the past that the bust money is later lost and could no longer be traced.

There might be lapses in the operation, Ong said, but these could be corrected and he would just expound on these items in his response to the memorandum. - Norvie S. Misa/RAE