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Monday, November 21, 2005
Anti-drug official hunted
By Aquiles Zonio
A RANKING official of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) who is facing arrest for the alleged murder of a Davao City-based Filipino-Chinese trader has been declared absent without official leave (Awol).
Chief Inspector Jessie Estrada, PDEA chief in Central Mindanao, told reporters that Inspector Victoriano Bato, PDEA assistant regional director for Central Mindanao, has not reported to his office since last month after a court in Davao City issued an arrest warrant against him.
Estrada said he gave Bato until October 26 to report for duty to shed light and face the murder case filed against him but the latter has not showed up as of this writing.
"This prompted me to declare him Awol," Estrada said.
Last month, Bato asked permission from Estrada to go on official leave citing as reason the death of his grandchild.
When Estrada assumed post as new PDEA chief for Central Mindanao, he reassigned Bato to head the PDEA office in Kidapawan City.
The PDEA regional director further claimed that he already replaced Bato as head of PDEA office in Kidapawan City.
He urged authorities and other law enforcement agencies to help in arresting a fugitive PDEA official.
Bato was the PDEA assistant regional director during the time of the late PDEA Central Mindanao director Superintendent Efren Alquizar.
Alquizar, who was also included in the murder case filed by the family of slain Filipino-Chinese businessman Ronal Lim, 51, died a few months ago when his own gun accidentally went off.
(November 21, 2005 issue)
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