Info on cops in drug trade to be verified further

CEBU, Philippines - The chief of the Cebu City Police Office said the information tagging nine cops in the city in the illegal drug trade will be validated at the regional level.

Senior Supt. Conrad Capa said the list provided by City Councilor Dave Tumulak, chairman of the City Council committee on peace and order, will be submitted to the validation board, which is under the Regional Intelligence Division of the Police Regional Office-7.

Capa has yet to see the list, he said.

The nine policemen on the list are said to be smalltime ‘drug protectors’ who allegedly protect drug personalities in exchange of bribes.

Information also have it that other cops take the personal items of drug personalities when implement search warrants while others demand money from those arrested in exchange for the latter’s release.

Tumulak said the list is a result of consolidated reports on drug suspects and their families and information from barangay officials and the general public.

Capa said they cannot file charges against the erring cops until these policemen will be proven guilty of the accusations. He said receiving information and proving them true are two different things.

He said one way to prove the allegations is by checking the evidence confiscated during the raid. For example, the cellphones of drug suspects can be checked to see if these contain contact numbers of policemen. An entrapment operation is also an alternative.

Capa encouraged victims of these policemen to come out and testify against these erring cops.

“The best way is to have a victim to come out, tell us what happened and identify the cop. Hopefully there is a brave soul and would come out,” he said.

“We would love to hear from the direct victims para hindi kami magkamali. Mahirap na when you do injustice against them,” he added.

Tumulak declined to divulge the identities of the police officers, their respective units and barangays to avoid compromising impending operations against them.

At the Cebu City Hall, Mayor Michael Rama said those who will be proven to have condoned the illegal drug trade should be ousted from their posts.

"They should be out. No mercy. Not only out, if they can be away because they are in to drug trade that means they are in illegal (activity). Why should they be transferred, you are only transferring the illegal activity," Rama said.  — Grace Melanie I. Lacamiento with Jean Marvette A. Demecillo/JMO (FREEMAN)