‘Golf game’ between police generals and Cebu trader probed

CEBU CITY — The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas has decided to conduct an inquiry into the possible culpability of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Leandro Mendoza and other police generals for allegedly playing golf last Saturday with a businessman being investigated for alleged illegal drug dealing.

Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Primo Miro ordered director Virginia Palanca-Santiago to conduct an inquiry based on media reports that Mendoza played golf with trader Wellington Lim at the Cebu Country Club.

Mendoza, according to reports, was with Deputy Director Oscar Calderon, intelligence and detective management chief at Camp Crame; Deputy Director Rex Piad, Director Thompson Lantion, Superintendent Carlito Dimaano and Superintendent Dennis Canoy, comptrollership and finance chief of the Region 7 police.

Rep. Antonio Cuenco, who chairs the House committee on dangerous drugs, is undertaking an investigation against Lim and his brother Peter for their alleged involvement in drug trafficking.

Cuenco said he is considering a joint hearing with the House panel on public order and safety chaired by Rep. Ace Durano.

However, Durano told dyLA the other day that he will not investigate the matter unless there is enough evidence to prove that Lim had invited the police officials.

Durano said he does not want to conduct an investigation without enough basis because it will be a waste of government resources.

He said the inquiry will not prosper if it was only coincidental that Lim and the police generals played golf at the Cebu Country Club at the same time.

Nevertheless, the anti-graft office will pursue its inquiry to determine whether Mendoza and other police officials violated the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (Republic Act 6713) or not.

The tee-off logbook of the Cebu Country Club showed that Lim, together with Calderon and Canoy, played golf in flight 6.

The logbook also showed that Mendoza was with flight 5, together with Piad, Lantion, Dimaano and businessman Jojo Alquizola who claimed to be the host.

The alleged meeting of the police officials and Lim at the golf course has triggered a controversy here because of the pending investigation by Cuenco’s committee of the Lim brothers who were tagged as drug lords by two of their former employees, Ananias Dy and Bernard Liu.

During the past three hearings of the Cuenco committee, Dy and Liu alleged that the Lims were engaged in drug trafficking and other illegal activities.

The panel will resume its inquiry on Dec. 7.

Meanwhile, Chief Superintendent Avelino Razon, regional police director, in an interview with dyLA, advised high-ranking police officers not to play golf with the Lims while the two are still being investigated by Cuenco’s committee.

Razon said he is also looking into reports that some of his men were seen playing golf with Wellington.

He, however, clarified that Canoy was playing with Mendoza and not with Wellington based on the score cards used. — Freeman News Service