Leyte gov, vice gov back anti-illegal drugs operation

CEBU, Philippines - Amid the increasing fear on extrajudicial killings of suspected drug personalities and high value targets, Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Loreto Petilla and Vice Governor Carlo Petilla Loreto declared their support to the Philippine National Police’s Project Double Barrel.

The two top provincial officials issued their vows during the provincial summit on anti-illegal drugs and the launching of the Mamamayang Ayaw sa Anomalya, Mamamayang Ayaw sa Iligal na Droga (MASA MASID) of the Department of Interior and Local Government.

Petilla and Loreto told the mayors, representatives of the PNP and the DILG, and other stakeholders in Leyte about their full support to the national government’s campaign to stop illegal drugs trade and use in the province.

Loreto, for his part, also denied insinuations that he has been against the anti-drugs war, but refused to elaborate on what these talks against him were all about.

Reports have gone viral in the social media about the drug payola list—given earlier by the slain Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr.—mentioning a senator, a congressman, a governor, a vice governor, some mayors, vice mayor, policemen and journalists.

Drug cases against some of these personalities, except the elected officials, were already filed by the police with the Leyte Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.

Mayor Espinosa was killed at around 4 a.m. on October 5 in an alleged shoot out with operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Region 8 while the later served two search warrants for illegal firearms and illegal drugs inside the cells of the detained mayor and a suspected drug lord Raul Yap..

Autopsy report stated that the mayor—father of suspected drug lord of the Visayas Rolando “Kerwin” Espinosa Jr who has just been arrested in Abu Dhabi—sustained four gunshot wounds with one fatal hit on the head.

A team from the CIDG central office in Manila is expected to be in Baybay City today to conduct an investigation into what really transpired during the search inside the Leyte Sub-Provincial Jail in Baybay, which resulted in the deaths of the mayor and inmate Yap.

Chief Superintendent Elmer Beltejar, regional director of the Police Regional Office-8, spoke at the anti-drugs summit where he expressed optimism on the success of the PNP’s Project Double Barrel despite the killing of Espinosa. He said the PNP will win the war against drugs with the help of DILG’s MASA MASID program.

Senior Superintendent Allan Cuevillas, deputy director for operations of the PRO-8, presented to the summit a situationer showing a drop in the number of street crimes but an increase in cases of murder.

Cuevillas said the implementation of Project Double Barrel in Eastern Visayas resulted in the surrender of 25,220 drug users and pushers, mostly through the barangay officials. He said the operations, as of November 3, had 467 suspects arrested, and 41 killed or neutralized, including high value targets and a police officer, whose name he did not mention.

“This only means that we do not condone involvement of any police offier or employee of the PNP in illegal drugs,” he said at the summit. He further said that with the media hype over the arrest of the two Espinosas, the police got feedbacks from the field about the reduced supply and demand of drugs.

The PRO-8 will be more effective in the drive against drugs by sealing off entry and exit points used by existing drug groups, largely by land and sea, Cuevillas added.  — (FREEMAN)