THE Police Regional Office (PRO) in Negros Island Region (NIR) has not received a communication from alleged drug lord Victoria “Berya” Tolentino indicating that she will surrender this week.
The report on Tolentino’s alleged surrender came after the region’s top drug suspect Ricky Serenio over an interview with Bombo Radyo Bacolod on Tuesday said the Berya drug group leader will surface the following day to execute her own affidavit, revealing drug protectors in Negros Occidental especially in Bacolod City.
Senior Inspector Armilyn Vargas, public information officer of PRO-NIR, said on Thursday they have no communication with Serenio after he was released from detention last March 16 when he posted a bail of P400,000 for illegal explosives charges before Judge Eduardo Sayson of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 54 in Bacolod City.
Serenio also posted a P120,000 bail for grave coercion charges before the same court last January 20, and a bail of P200,000 for illegal possession of firearms charges before the RTC Branch 48, also in Bacolod.
Serenio, Tolentino’s alleged bagman, had executed an affidavit tagging 40 policemen, including two media personalities as drug protectors of Berya drug group. He also recently issued a supplemental affidavit dragging eight more policemen and a personnel of the National Bureau of Investigation into the illegal drug trade.
Chief Superintendent Renato Gumban, acting director of PRO-NIR, had earlier urged Tolentino to surrender, but the latter failed to surface until this time.
Vargas said the PRO-NIR is open to help Tolentino if she plans to surrender.