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BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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Thursday, June 22, 2017
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ILOILO City – Suspected drug lord Richard “Buang” Prevendido was a friend of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 6 agent killed in an antidrug operation in Sibalom, Antique, police said.
A week before Macario Grasparil was shot dead on Tuesday afternoon, Prevendido visited the agent’s house in Sitio Solong, Barangay San Juan, Sibalom, according to Inspector Clark Philip Dinco, municipal police chief.
Grasparil’s house was in a secluded, mountainous area of Sitio Solong.
Prevendido disguised himself as an Ati and spoke like one too, said Dinco, citing an informant’s report.
The suspect sported a long hair and beard, and appeared thinner and tanner than in the photos PDEA and the police have been circulating, he added.
“We decided to subject Grasparil to a buy-bust after receiving such information,” said Dinco.
Prevendido, however, was nowhere in sight during Tuesday’s sting operation against Grasparil.
The Regional Trial Court, Branch 21 issued an arrest warrant against Prevendido on Jan. 6, 2017 for violation of Section 11 (possession of dangerous drugs) of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Prevendido was charged following the raid of his house on Oct. 21, 2016. Shabu were seized.
The city and provincial governments of Iloilo and the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) have a combined P1.1-million reward to whoever could give information leading to Prevendido’s arrest.
Dinco believed Prevendido sought shelter in Grasparil’s house because they were friends or they had drug-related transactions.
Around 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday Grasparil sold a sachet of shabu to an undercover police officer for P500. He drew his gun, a .357 revolver, after realizing he was being entrapped. This forced the operatives of the Sibalom police and Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit Central Antique to shoot
Eleven more sachets of shabu were recovered from Grasparil’s sling bag which also contained a .9mm pistol.
PDEA assistant regional director Levi Ortiz confirmed that Grasparil was an active agent of the agency.
The unmasking of Grasparil’s ties with Prevendido came four months after the suspect drug lord’s nephew Ednie Jimena claimed his uncle had protectors from PDEA and the PRO-6.
Jimena, suspected subgroup leader of the Prevendido drug group, was arrested in Parañaque City on Jan. 31. He, however, refused to name Prevendido’s protectors.
If Jimena were to be believed, his uncle’s protectors from PDEA received a P20,000 payola every 15th day of the month.
PDEA and PRO-6 operatives have been unsuccessfully looking for Prevendido since October last year after a raid on the suspect’s house in Barangay Bakhaw, Mandurriao, Iloilo City yielded sachets of shabu.
PDEA deputy regional director Levi Ortiz recently theorized that the New People’s Army in Panay Island could be coddling Prevendido for a fee. The rebels, however, denied this.
Ortiz also suspected that Prevendido’s family was aiding him. However, Barangay Captain Remia Prevendido Gregori of Bakhaw denied she was helping her brother.
“Those protecting Prevendido may be charged criminally with harboring a criminal,” said Ortiz. “It is impossible that his family and relatives have no contact with him.”
Then PRO-6 director Chief Superintendent Jose Gentiles gave his men until Dec. 31, 2016 to arrest Prevendido. They failed to beat the deadline.
Aided by close confidantes, Prevendido does not stay long in one place and takes taxis or drives his own car, sources told Panay News.
A lot of suspected members of the Prevendido drug group were caught in recent months, including the “high-value” Bonie Prevendido Gregori, Richard’s nephew and son of Remia./PN
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