Monday, July 02, 2007
Fish vendor faces charge for ‘bribing’ PDEA agents
THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 has charged with bribery the fish vendor who gave P100,000 to agents for them to drop a drug peddling case against a couple.
In an entrapment operation, 36-year-old Gilda Narvasa of Sitio Looc, Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City handed wads of bills to PDEA-detailed firefighter Priscillano Gingoyon inside the agency’s office last June 28.
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The money was allegedly meant to settle the case for violation of Section 5 of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, against Salvador and Mercy Alquizalas.
They were arrested in a raid in their house in Looc last June 26. Their son Paul eluded arrest.
The operation resulted to the confiscation of three shabu sachets, drug paraphernalia, P22,600 cash, and $65.
Before the raid, Gingoyon got three shabu sachets from the Alquizalases during a “test buy.”
Aside from drug peddling, the PDEA 7 also filed separate complaints against the couple for violating Sections 11 and 12 of RA 9165, or for possession of shabu and drug paraphernalia.
In his sworn statement, Gingoyon said that a day after their arrest, the couple offered to pay P100,000 for their case to be dropped.
On June 28, he received a phone call from a certain Juliet, who introduced herself as a close friend of the Alquizalas couple.
Juliet allegedly offered to pay P100,000 to the arresting officers, who include Gingoyon and Fire Officer 2 Rayford Yap.
Later that day, Narvasa arrived bringing the P100,000 that Juliet promised wrapped in plastic.
With members of the media as witnesses, Narvasa handed the money to Gingoyon.
Interviewed by a TV crew last Friday, Narvasa denied knowing that what she gave was money meant as a bribe, saying she merely did the task Juliet instructed her to do. (JGA)
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