Wednesday, August 06, 2008 Police face blank wall on drug case By Jane Cadalig
WITH nobody coming out to testify, police are facing a blank wall on who should be held liable for the missing marijuana bricks that are part of 100 kilos of the substance confiscated in Kapangan.
Benguet Provincial Police Director Danilo Pelisco said his office is not letting up on its investigation of the matter.
Pelisco on Tuesday clarified that the Benguet police did not terminate their investigation, as earlier reported by the chief of the provincial investigation unit to members of the Provincial Board.
The investigation, which is being done by the regional office, is parallel to the probe conducted by the provincial police on reports that only 40 of the 100 kilos of marijuana bricks confiscated were turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
He said the municipal police chief of Kapangan was relieved as a means of encouraging members of the town police to reveal what actually happened to the confiscated marijuana.
Police are searching for the buyer of the vehicle that was allegedly used to transport the contraband so they would be able to trace the previous owner, Pelisco said.
"We could not tell when the investigation will be completed. It would depend on the willingness of witnesses to come out in the open and testify. Only then can we pin down the persons who are liable," Pelisco said.
Provincial Board Member Rogelio Leon earlier called on provincial police officials to clarify the allegation that members of the Kapangan police freed a suspect who was apprehended transporting marijuana bricks using an FX taxi, and to explain the accusation that part of the confiscated marijuana load was not handed over.
Leon said concerned citizens in Kapangan informed him in June that the municipal police confiscated 100 kilos of marijuana but submitted only 40 kilos to PDEA.
Pelisco said his office received the same information as early as February. Right then, the office initiated an investigation but the Kapangan police denied the allegations.
Last June, the PDEA acknowledged the submission of 40 kilos of marijuana bricks from Kapangan, reportedly gathered from two separate operations -- the first 20 kilos found in a waiting shed in the remote village of Beleng-Belis and the other 20 kilos intercepted in a checkpoint.
According to Leon, police could not show a photo of the first 20 kilos of marijuana found scattered on a waiting shed, which could prove that the illegal hemp was really found scattered.
Benguet Vice Governor Crescencio Pacalso said the provincial police should advise the officers to observe the process to avoid the same lapses in procedure that occurred in Kapangan.
Also among the allegations was that the freed suspect was told to fund the construction of a kitchen for the Kapangan police station.
Pelisco said the relieved police chief however clarified that the money used in the construction of the kitchen was allotted from the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of the municipal police office and from some "donors".
The average regular MOOE of a municipal police, according to Pelisco, is P6,000 per month. Municipal police offices though get additional P6,000 under the leadership of Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Avelino Razon.
Leon is skeptical though, saying it would take long for a police station to construct a kitchen, complete with restrooms, with funds only coming from its MOOE.
