BY RHENJIE MARIE CALANTAS
ILOILO City – A man faces multiple charges for pretending to be a police officer.
Officers of the Jaro police station recently arrested Jomar Blanco, 39, of San Jose, Nueva Ecija and temporarily residing on 7th Street, Lawaan Village, Barangay Balantang, Jaro district, after yielding suspected illegal drugs and a firearm.
Police, meanwhile, launched a manhunt against Blanco’s companion who fled on a motorcycle towards Barangay Balabago and headed to the dark portion of Brarangay Cubay, Jaro during the operation.
Jaro police said when Blanco was asked why his companion ran away, he introduced himself as a policeman but was unable to present an identification card.
Authorities recovered inside Blanco’s sling bag a .45 caliber pistol, a magazine with five bullets, and two sachets of suspected shabu.
Blanco was charged with usurpation of authority, violation of Republic Act (RA) 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) and violation of RA 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act).
In an interview with Panay News, Police Lieutenant Lester Oliveros, deputy station commander of Jaro police station, stated that the suspect is still being investigated to know if he has a connection or involvement in other crimes.
At present, Blanco is under the custodial facility of the Jaro police station for proper disposition./PN
