3 city cops found positive of shabu

At least three members of the Cebu City Police Office were tested positive of using methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu following their drug tests last week.

Two of those found positive were the ones accused of escorting a suspected drug lord who was arrested during a buy-bust operation at the South Bus Terminal last week.

The other one tested positive of shabu use following a drug examination undergone by at least 93 personnel of the city police after a meeting called by city police director Patrocinio Comendador.



Comendador yesterday showed the results of the drug test in which the policeman, a member of the Pardo Police Station, was found positive. The drug test happened during a command conference that Comendador called for all members of the miscellaneous teams and special units.

The police director called for the conference after he got dismayed over the involvement of four policemen in illegal activities.

One of those policemen was arrested in a separate operations conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency while two of them were arrested during an entrapment operation conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation last week.

The string of controversies besetting the CPPO prompted Comendador to impose guidelines, one of which orders members of the miscellaneous teams and special units to wear their general office attire when conducting operations.

A pre-charge investigation will be conducted against the policeman found positive in the drug test during the meeting last week. Since he committed a grave offense, his case will be endorsed to the Regional Intelligence and Detective Management.

However, the policeman, whose name was not revealed to the media, will remain at the Pardo Police Station pending the results of the investigation conducted against him.

PO2 Manolito Anore and PO1 Joseph Dagatan, the policemen who allegedly escorted a drug lord from San Fernando town to Cebu City before the buy-bust operation launched by the PDEA, were subjected to drug test as ordered by Comendador.

Comendador said now that the results of the drug test undergone by Anore and Dagatan were released, he would coordinate with the PDEA in the filing of the administrative charges against them. - Flor Z. Perolina/LPM