ILOILO – The provincial government’s P500 thousand monetary reward to whoever could give information leading to the arrest of drug suspect Ernesto Bolivar, 41, of Barangay Guinacas, Pototan town stays, according to Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr.
Bolivar was believed to be a minion of slain drug lord Richard Prevendido and stepped up drug trafficking activities after his boss died in a shootout with policemen in September 2017.
Defensor reiterated to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 6 officer-in-charge Alex Tablate recently that the provincial government was prepared to release the reward anytime.
The provincial government offered the reward in 2017 yet in a bid to neutralize Bolivar following the death of Prevendido.
According to Defensor, drug trafficking remains a problem in the province with shabu entering Iloilo via porous entry points such as the seaport in Dumangas town.
Tablate, on the other hand, appealed for the public’s help in looking for Bolivar.
He also said PDEA-6 would be tightening security measures in seaports.
Three months ago, on October 2018, Senior Inspector Kennith Bermejo, chief of the Police Regional Office 6’s Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU), said the suspected leader of the Bolivar drug group had left Western Visayas.
Bolivar, however, remained active in the illegal drug trade, said Bermejo.
Citing intelligence reports, the RDEU chief said Bolivar fled to Metro Manila and used fictitious names to evade police detection.
Bolivar has a pending arrest warrant for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. He was charged although he managed to escape from policemen trying to entrap him in a buy-bust operation at his house in Barangay Guinacas on No. 9, 2016.
The Bolivar drug group operates mainly in central and northern Iloilo province and parts of nearby Capiz.
The RDEU deemed Bolivar the last high-value drug target in the region after two drug lords, Melvin Odicta Sr. and Prevendido, were killed in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Unidentified gunmen shot Odicta to death at the jetty port in Barangay Caticlan, Malay, Aklan on Aug. 29, 2016 while Prevendido died in a police operation in Barangay Balabago, Jaro, Iloilo City on Sept. 1, 2017.
The Bolivar group used to be a subgroup of the Prevendido drug group, according to the RDEU. But it is not only into illegal drugs but also into robbery and gun-for-hire services./PN
