Police chiefs may face relief from their posts If they fail in anti-illegal drugs campaign–Natuel

CEBU, Philippines - Chiefs of police found remiss in complying with the marching orders of the Police Regional Office-7 will be relieved from their respective posts and reassigned to the provincial command.

Senior Superintendent Mariano Natuel Jr., director of the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office, told the media that when a police chief is found not obeying the directive and has not reported any accomplishment, he could be facing relief from his present position

Natuel said PRO-7 director, Chief Supt. Prudencio Tom Banas, had ordered to intensify operations against illegal drugs in the region's six cities and Class A municipalities in two-week time and to show results. This order has been expanded to cover all police stations in Negros Oriental, he said.

Natuel presented to the media a recent accomplishment of the Guihulngan City Police, headed by Senior Inspector Benedict Poblete, in two buy-bust operations in one day, jointly conducted by the Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operations Task Group led by Inspector Ryan Jay Orapa. 

Last Monday, at 5:30 p.m., the joint team arrested Roy Calvo Soreno, 32, of Barangay Calamba in Guihulngan, and seized from him two sachets of suspected shabu worth P5,000 (based on the Dangerous Drugs Board valuation), a .45-caliber pistol with four rounds of live ammunition and the P500 buy-bust money.

Two hours later that evening, the team arrested Sherwin Uy Tirambulo, alias Ilong of Barangay Cadre in Guihulngan, who was seen inside the campus of a university, allegedly preying on students, but fell to a police poseur buyer. He was deemed the number one drug pusher in Guihulngan.

Seized from Tirambulo's possession were seven sachets of shabu worth P30,000 (based on DDB valuation), the P500 marked money, a .38-caliber revolver with two live ammunitions, a .25-caliber Llama pistol with two rounds of live ammunition, a fragmentation hand grenade and a holster.

Natuel said the two suspects were considered Level-3 "drug pushers" who can dispose 200 grams of shabu per week. They however denied owning the seized items, except for Soreno who admitted the pistol was his own and it was licensed.

In Valencia town also on Monday evening, the local police, led by Senior Inspector Wilfredo Villoria, arrested Roland Trumata Calumen, 37, during a search at the suspect's house in Mampas, a remote barangay in the mountains of Valencia.

The raid, done via a search warrant issued by Judge Gerardo Paguio of the Regional Trial Court-Branch 40, also resulted in the confiscation of three sachets of shabu, a digital weighing scale, three disposable lighters, a cellphone and several plastic sachets.

Calumen however told reporters he was not selling shabu but was merely a user, and had bought the items from sources in Cadawinonan village in Dumaguete. The police however said Calumen was able to dispose a bigger quantity of shabu before the search was conducted.  

Mampas village chief  Teofreda Villalon Nodado said drug use and pushing have reached her barangay, prompting her to ask the police for help. The police said drug pushers have shifted operations to remote barangays due to saturation drives conducted in the poblacion areas. (FREEMAN)