BEFORE he joined the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) almost a decade ago, Baby “Earl” Rallos was my staff in dyMF Bombo Radyo Cebu. When I transferred to dySS Super Radyo Cebu in 1997, he was one of the nine news personnel I brought to the station. He was our news director. After a year, he resigned and joined the National Food Authority (NFA) 7 as a spokesman, the position vacated by now Superbalita columnist and Cebuano language expert Ernie Lariosa.
But after a few months, he approached me and asked if there was still a vacancy because he wanted to return to the media. I asked him why. He said he was not happy in his job reporting to the office at 8 a.m. and punching out at 5 p.m. with much less work to do. He wanted action like what he did in the media. The management accepted him again as an anchor/reporter. He handled a commentary program and also went on field.
When GMA 7 came up with the local news program “Balitang Bisdak,” Earl was one of the dySS personalities who was hired as a reporter. In fact, he became acting TV news director. He was enjoying his job until he decided to join the PDEA after passing its examination. He was in the second batch to be recruited and underwent rigorous training at the PDEA academy in Cavite.
When he become a regular agent, we seldom saw each other as he was assigned in different parts of the country. He was the sub-chief in Mimaropa (Region 4), which covers Palawan Province. He was assigned in Bohol and in Cotabato City before he was re-assigned again in Region 7 under the then regional director Felimon Yogi Ruiz. He was one of Ruiz’s trusted men as Earl was also good in operational matters and paperwork, like preparing documents for the filing of cases against arrested suspects. For a while, he was designated as the agency’s spokesperson. He was recently promoted to being the agency’s assistant operations officer.
Every time dySS news personnel had a Christmas party and other special occasions, we always invited Earl and the other former personnel and their respective families to join the affair. That’s how close we were. And every time we met, I always advised him not to get involved in shenanigans, being on the front-line of the anti-illegal drugs campaign. He assured me that he would heed my advice. I considered him as my younger brother. He was hardworking and a very responsible subordinate.
But the unexpected happened last Friday afternoon. Earl was gunned down by a still unidentified assailant while driving his car from his office to his house in Labangon at the junction of Villalon and Escario Sts. beside the Capitol compound. He died on the spot as the gunman pumped more bullets into his body as he was sprawled on the ground. It was not learned if he was able to return fire as Earl carried firearms of various calibers. Witnesses said the assailant took the firearm in Earl’s possession before he sped off on a waiting motorcycle.
But what puzzled me is when police investigators announced that they found sachets of white crystalline substance believed to be shabu inside the glove compartment of Earl’s car. They announced it late in the evening when everything inside Earl’s car had been processed and Earl’s body was already pulled out from the crime scene by the funeral personnel.
Scene of the Crime Operation (Soco) personnel, which controlled the crime scene and processed everything, had initially laid down all the things they found inside the car before reporters covering the incident and Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak left. Even Councilor Tumulak was surprised when investigators announced later that they found packs of shabu. Why did the announcement come later? It should have been included in the initial presentation of evidences.
I was informed that Earl’s team had an operation the night before he was shot dead, which resulted in the arrest of some suspects and the confiscation of some volume of illegal drugs. Maybe he forgot to immediately turn over the items as he reported for work around 2 p.m. that day.
I agree with the observation of some police officers that even law enforcers are not allowed or licensed to carry illegal drugs. If those were evidences, these should have been properly deposited in the evidence room of the agency. I don’t want to point an accusing finger that the drugs were planted to discredit Earl and the PDEA. Only Earl can explain the circumstances behind it. But how can he explain when he is already dead? As the saying goes, “dead men tell no tales.” Adios, “Super” Earl Rallos.