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Friday, January 16, 2004
Poll bet caught peddling shabu
By Mia E. Abellana
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
A MUNICIPAL councilor who is seeking reelection was arrested yesterday morning for allegedly selling three packets of shabu to police intelligence operatives.
Pacifico Manloloyo, 32, who was also arrested in July 2002 for alleged possession of shabu, accused his political opponents in Tabogon, Cebu of arranging his arrest.
Unlike his previous arrest, Manloloyo can no longer post bail under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. If found guilty, he also faces the death penalty.
PO1 Jerson Pinute told reporters that as they were travelling from Tabogon to the Cebu Provincial Police Office headquarters in Lahug, Cebu City, Manloloyo admitted he was making his last deal to fund his reelection campaign.
He also allegedly asked them if they could settle the case and implied that he could offer them money, but did not say how much.
“He said it was embarrassing for him and that he only wanted to raise funds for the elections. But we all know that he has been operating for some time now,” Pinute said.
Manloloyo denied making any deal with the police officers, saying they arrived all of a sudden in his father’s cockpit and arrested him.
Among those who arrested him was a policeman-uncle.
Narcopolitics
Manloloyo is seeking a second term as municipal councilor in the May 10 elections under the Ko-alisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino of actor Fernando Poe Jr.
Before running for municipal councilor, Manlo-loyo served as barangay councilor in Poblacion, Tabogon.
He is the grandson of former town mayor Pacia-no Ybañez, who served the town for 17 years.
Manloloyo’s father, Trinidad Manoloyo Jr., is also running for vice mayor this May under the same party.
Unless he is convicted before the elections, the younger Manloloyo can still pursue his reelection bid—although rivals are bound to raise the specter of narcopolitics, considering that this is his second arrest for this term alone.
Members of the Provincial Intelligence and Investigation Branch (PIIB) confiscated yesterday 12 sachets, one big pack, one medium pack and three small packs of what appeared to be shabu, estimated to be worth P11,700.
Runner too
Pinute told reporters they spent a whole day following Manloloyo around because he was very “elusive.”
“He would not stay in one place for long. We had to make sure we would catch him,” Pinute said.
PIIB chief, Senior Insp. Limuel Obon, said they have been targeting Manloloyo since last year, but he has been difficult to catch.
Manloloyo, the police alleged, supplies drugs in Medellin, Daanbantayan and other northern towns.
Arrested along with him was Judy Sarsalejo, 24.
Sarsalejo, apart from taking care of Manloloyo’s gamecocks, also allegedly serves as his runner.
Police bought a sachet of shabu from him, which was why he was also arrested.
Also joining the PIIB operatives was SPO2 Anecito Manloloyo, the candidate’s uncle.
Not politics
The policeman, who is the cousin of the counci-lor’s father, made sure he joined the operation so that the public would not get the impression that he was protecting his nephew.
But Councilor Manlo-loyo said the policeman was supporting another uncle who is running for councilor under another party.
He said he already filed his certificate of candidacy and that his political opponents led by Mayor Roy Ornopia were behind his arrest.
Sun.Star was not able to reach Ornopia, but police insisted that politicians did not push them to conduct operations against Manloloyo.
According to Obon, Manloloyo is in the watch list of both the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the PIIB.
He was also in the order of battle of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 7, when he was arrested in July 2002.
Three medium and five packs of suspected shabu were confiscated in his house in that operation led by Senior Insp. Ger-mano Mallari.
Back then, he also denied that the operatives found shabu in house.
He posted bail. That case is pending before the Regional Trial Court in Bogo.
(January 16, 2004 issue)
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