A FORMER village councilman who is listed among Malacañang's narco-politicians was arrested by anti-narcotics agents and local police in a drug bust near Veterans Park, Harrison Road, Baguio City.
Dick Gabutan Bravo, 43, former barangay kagawad of Lopez Jaena was cuffed after selling a heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing suspected “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride) worth P10,000 to an undercover agent.
Authorities confiscated from Bravo the drug bust money and the passenger jeepney that was used during the illegal drug activity.
The former drug surrenderer is temporarily detained at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Cordillera Administrative Region (PDEA-CAR) jail facility pending the filing of charges for violating Republic Act Number 9165 or the “Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002” as amended.
Of the number of those listed in the government’s narco-list released April this year, Bicol topped the list with 70 followed by CAR with 34 and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) with 13, Metro Manila has nine barangay chairmen – five of them in Manila, two are from Malabon, while Caloocan and Mandaluyong have one each.
PDEA also announced that there are 90 others composed of mayors, congressmen, governors and vice governors who are also into the illegal drugs trade.
The narco-list has been validated by the PDEA, the Philippine National Police, the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.
Meanwhile, a 22–year-old sales clerk of a pawnshop in the city was killed by alleged robbers on August 15 inside a cellphone pawnshop.
The victim was identified as Lindsay Vallejos Valdez, a native of Pangasinan, and presently residing at Purok 3, Lower Pinget, Baguio City.
Initial investigation showed the victim opened the pawnshop and started sweeping the floor when the suspect arrived and forcibly dragged the victim inside the pawnshop.
The suspect directed the victim to open the vault room where the auctioned laptops, cellphones, and cash were kept.
While inside the vault room, the suspect took from the victim the key of the metal cash box where the cash collections were kept.
The suspect then wrapped the victim’s feet and hands at the back using a packing tape including her mouth.
The suspect opened the metal cash box and took its contents.
Scene of the Crime Operatives who arrived at the scene led by Police Superintendent Jaime Leal declared the victim dead on the spot after her neck was slit by a sharp object.
After processing the crime scene, the owner of the pawnshop identified as Julio Fernandez Parayno III and his wife conducted an inventory and averred that their cash collections amounting to P87,434 were missing, while the case is undergoing investigation.