3 fall in Malacañang drug sting

MANILA, Philippines — Three persons were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for allegedly selling drugs at a sari-sari store within the Malacañang compound.

During a press conference yesterday, NBI Task Force Against Illegal Drugs chief Ross Jonathan Galicia presented the suspects who allegedly operated the store near Malacañang’s Arlegui gate as a cover-up for their drug deals.

Rolando Laya, Bryan Batrina, and Melvin Santiago were arrested in a drug sting last June 7 based on a tip to the NBI by the Presidential Security Group (PSG).

The three, who had served time at the New Bilibid Prison, sold methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, Galicia said.

“They ride on the activities of Malacañang for their drug transactions. They try to make it simple by using their sari-sari store to store their products,” Galicia said. 

“This poses a threat to the campaign of the government against illegal drugs. Imagine, they are already at the doorsteps of no less than the Office of the President?” NBI spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin added.

PSG spokesperson Capt. Zeerah Blanche Lucrecia said they are committed not just to protecting the President but also in supporting the government’s war on drugs.

Three more suspects – Freddie Nacion Jr. Esperanza Pido and Joan Garcia – were separately served search warrants on Monday in Barangay 662 in Paco, Manila. Six sachets of shabu and drug paraphernalia were confiscated from them.

Ronnie Lao, Sulpicio Cassiler Jr. and Leonardo Asa were arrested in a drug session the same day at Lao’s house in Barangay 831 in Paco, Manila. Eight sachets of shabu, a sachet of marijuana and a pistol were confiscated from them.

Galicia said Laya’s group sourced their shabu from Lao’s group.

The drugs were transported through the Malacañang compound gates by bicycle to avoid suspicions, he added.

Asked if the campaign against illegal drugs is inefficient since the government apparently cannot clean its own backyard, PSG spokesperson Lucrecia said this only means they are not sparing the Malacañang compound from the war on drugs.