ILLEGAL drugs kept the police busy even on Christmas day but their sacrifice paid off very well as they confiscated almost P50 million worth of shabu from a single dealer. Fortunately for him, the suspect, BJ Abesia was not killed. That fact should bolster the claim that they don’t kill drug dealers for killing’s sake, that they or at least many of them do so only when their own lives are at immediate risk.
The hawks among us probably wished that Abesia had given the police a reason to shoot him because of the huge quantity of the illegal drugs allegedly found in his possession and the enormity of the ruin they would have brought upon the community had they been circulated in the market. But summary execution is wrong, even criminal, and besides, it deprives the police of the opportunity to extract valuable information from the suspect. In other words, they are more useful when alive than dead.
Take the case of the successful Christmas Day operation, for example. Police Regional Office 7 Director Debold Sinas said it was an offshoot of an earlier raid by Guadalupe policemen (in Sambag 2) where P36 million worth of shabu was confiscated and the four suspects who were arrested, not killed, sang, to use an old police expression. Sinas expects the same cooperation from Abesia and if that happens, they should get nearer to the distributor of the drugs than they ever had been.
Not everyone is singing, of course. The beauty queen from Carmen, who was arrested for allegedly possessing nine packs of marijuana a couple of weeks ago, was reported as having refused to cooperate with the police and reveal her supplier when she was investigated days after she was held. No word has been heard about her case since then and I presume she’s still in jail since her case was non-bailable.
In any case, I would like to congratulate the police on their accomplishment. They’re small steps, yes, but isn’t it said that “great oaks from small acorns grow”?
I also want to thank the Cebu City police for ensuring the safety of those who attended the recent dawn masses. Their presence was reassuring. In the past, the churches and their immediate vicinity were not safe from snatchers and holduppers. I had a friend whose wife was held up as soon as they stepped out of their car in D. Jakosalem St. to attend the misa de gallo at the Sacred Heart Church many years ago. As usual, the culprits were never caught. Nothing of that sort happened this year, I hope.
Still on the police, what Iloilo Rep. Richard Garin reportedly did to a cop in Guimbal town in the same province was reprehensible. PO3 Federico Macaya Jr. may have disobeyed a lawful order from the congressman, as he claimed, but that did not give him the right to handcuff, spit at and punch the policeman.
Garin has apologized for the incident but he should not stop there. He should immediately resign because his conduct has rendered him unworthy of the exalted title of an “honorable Gentleman of the House.” And until he comes to terms with the fact that high public officials like him are subject to more exacting standards of behavior, he should not seek public office, whether elective or appointive.
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Speaking of behavior, I am glad I am not a public official because my reaction was less than stellar (an understatement, I confess) after I received the following message on my mobile phone:
“GLOBE NOTICE: Nais po namin ipaalam sa inyo na ang inyong line ay nag-overlimit na sa paggamit ng MOBILE DATA. Dahil dito ang inyong line ay magkakaroon ng 300 charge. Kung nais ninyo po ipa void ang 300 charge magtext lamang ng 300VOID at isend sa 29058309376 at magreply ng YES upang ma-access ang inyong request. Thank you!”
I smelled a scam even if I am not good in Tagalog so I texted back to tell him to shove his manhood into its nearest aperture. He did not reply anymore.
In case you have nothing else to amuse you, the sender’s number was 0933 470 9481.