[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Where have all the druggies gone? ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO – Four of the seven police chiefs reported with zero drug-related arrests managed to escape investigation. They were able to arrest drug suspects recently.
But the three others weren’t as lucky. Senior Inspector Ramon Coriana Jr. of Alimodian town, Senior Inspector Elmer Villaruel of Lemery and Inspector Ruben Perra of San Rafael must now prepare to explain their failure to arrest drug suspects in a month from Sept. 9 to Oct. 22.
Coriana told Panay News the Alimodian police station had 10 persons in its list of suspected drug personalities and they already either surrendered, arrested, or left the town since July this year.
“So we have no one to arrest anymore,” said Coriana.
The police station of Lemery listed 10 drug suspects, too, while San Rafael listed only one.
The four other police chiefs who managed to make arrests after their attention was called by the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) were Tubungan’s Senior Inspector Rolando Araño, Anilao’s Senior Inspector Ronald Paclibar, Dingle’s Senior Inspector Marvin Buenavista, and San Dionisio’s Senior Inspector Daniel Robles.
According to Superintendent Gilbert Gorero, PRO-6 spokesperson, non-performing police chiefs may be held administratively liable.
The police chiefs found an ally in Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. The number of arrests a police station makes should not be the sole basis for gauging its performance in the campaign against illegal drugs, he stressed.
“When you look at their (arrest) statistics, some municipal police stations may appear to be non-performing. But who else will the policemen arrest when, in the first place, their towns are already peaceful,” said the governor.
Defensor cited San Rafael in northern Iloilo. He said the small municipality’s peace and order situation is very manageable.
“Before the PRO-6 takes drastic action against the chief of police of a particular municipality, it should check the real situation on the ground,” Defensor said. “For all you know, malinong na ang banwa.”/PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
