ILOILO City – Policemen planting evidence on drug suspects face criminal charges, said Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, Western Visayas police director.
“Dapat kung ano ang totoo, ‘yun ang dapat natin i-report,” said Bulalacao during a conference with city and provincial police directors, municipal police chiefs and other police unit commanders.
Policemen planting evidence may be dismissed from the service, too, warned Bulalacao.
“Kahit drug suspect pa ‘yan kung walang evidence na makukuha sa kanya during an operation, huwag natin arestohin,” the police director stressed.
Bulalacao also reminded his men to avoid rushing antidrug operations and ending up killing suspects. Follow the rules of engagement, he stressed.
“We should be patient and do our job within the bounds of the law. We have to give suspects due process. Every person deserves due process,” said Bulalacao. “Let us also be fair to drug pushers.”
But while he stressed the importance of due process, Bulalacao reiterated his warning to drug personalities to stop their illegal activities.
Meanwhile, the police recorded five deaths the past month with riding-in-tandem gunmen as the culprits. The victims were drug personalities.
The most recent victim was Niel Agustin Resmo, a village watchman of Barangay Calubihan, Jaro district. He was shot on Oct. 5 while cleaning his motorcycle by the roadside.
On Sept. 28, 41-year-old Bengie Abacajin of Barangay Santo Niño Sur, Arevalo district was shot while driving his motorcycle in Barangay Sooc, Arevalo.
Abacajin was driving his tricycle when four motorcycle-riding people – two riders in one motorcycle – assaulted him on a bridge.
From what the police so far gathered, Abacajin was a caretaker of a rest house owned by lawyer Edeljulio Romero. Romero himself was killed in Barangay Culasi, Roxas City on the same day.
On Sept. 7 around 9:30 a.m. drug surrenderer Don Azucena was attacked while waiting for a jeepney ride in Zone 4, Barangay Calumpang, Molo district. The 42-year-old resident of Barangay North Baluarte, Molo died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Azucena surrendered to the police in 2016 and completed a drug rehabilitation program.
Several hours after Azucena was killed the 41-year-old Rolando Puda Jr. was shot dead in Barangay Ingore, La Paz district.
On Sept. 11 at around 5 p.m. tricycle driver Gerardo Mamarion Jr. was also peppered with bullets in Barangay Ungka, Jaro.
His father Gerardo Sr. claimed the victim, a 25-year-old resident of Barangay Tacas, Jaro, had long stopped using shabu./PN
