Village councilman, cohort nabbed with P1.3M ‘shabu’

A 28-YEAR-OLD councilman of Barangay Alijis in Bacolod City and her companion were arrested in a drug bust operation by operatives of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Drug Enforcement Unit at Alijis-Taculing Road of the said barangay at about 3:15 a.m. Tuesday, November 8, 2022.

The operatives also seized an estimated P1.3 million worth of suspected shabu.

Police identified the suspects as councilman Abby Araneta while her companion was Freely Boy Aldas, 39, a resident of Purok Cabugwason in Barangay Mansilingan.

BCPO Director Colonel Thomas Joseph Martir said the suspects were arrested after one of them sold a sachet of shabu to a poseur buyer.

Police recovered from the suspects’ possession two knot-tied plastics containing suspected shabu, 14 heat-sealed plastic sachets of suspected shabu, the P5,000 marked money, sling bag, cellular phone, P700 cash, and Toyota Vios vehicle.

Martir said the contraband, weighing 201 grams, was recovered from the two suspects, who were identified as high value individuals in Bacolod City.

“We did not expect that a barangay official would engage in illegal drugs. We are only doing our job to address the illegal drug problem here,” he said.

The city director also recognized the efforts of the operating personnel and lauded them for their intensified campaign against illegal drugs.

Araneta, who refused to comment on the allegations against her, was also a former Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairman in the said barangay.

But she said it’s her second term as village councilman and for 11 years as a public servant, the people of Barangay Alijis and those who knew her can tell what kind of person she is.

Araneta and her companion are detained at the custodial facility of Police Station 7.

They will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said he knows her (Araneta) in the 2019 elections.

He said Araneta should face the consequences of her actions.

“It’s a lesson learned and you cannot get away with this because it's a non-bailable offense. For everybody, find legitimate livelihood,” he added.