CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga -- A police superintendent, a senior inspector and two police non-commissioned officers have been placed under preventive suspension Tuesday for their alleged involvement in “irregular anti-drug operations.”
Chief Superintendent Raul Petrasanta, Police Regional Office-3 (PRO3) director, identified those suspended as Superintendent Raymund Louie Baloyo, who was then chief of Pampanga Provincial Intelligence branch; Senior Inpector Joven De Guzman; SPO1s Jules Maniago, Donald Roque, Ronald Santos, Rommel Vital, Alcindor Tinio, Dante Dizon and Eligio Valeroso; PO3s Dindo Dizon, Gilbert De Vera, and Romeo Guerrero; and PO2 Anthony Lacsama, all of the Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs Operation Task Group (PAIDSOTG) of Pampanga.
Also under preventive suspension is PO2 Jerome Bugarin of the Mexico Police Station.
Petrasanta said all of the officers were placed under preventive suspension for 90 days, from March 3 to May 31.
He said Baloyo is presently under schooling for officer senior executive course.
The police officers were suspended for alleged “irregularities in the conduct of anti-illegal drugs operation” on November 29, 2013 where a total of P182 million worth of suspected shabu was confiscated during a buy-bust operation at Woodbridge Subdivision of The Lakeshore in Barangay Divisoria, Mexico, Pampanga.
During that operation, a Chinese national identified as Ding Wenkun, 30, of Jiangxi province and Roel Luage Cabag, a native of Samboan, Cebu City were arrested.
Petrasanta said there were "irregularities" discovered by the Regional Investigation Division in the operation.
He said De Guzman and other policemen involved were charged for dishonesty after “a thorough reliable and credible validation” conducted by the Regional Investigation Division on the alleged irregularities.
The operation of PAIDSOTG considered at The Lakeshore was considered as one of the major accomplishments in 2013 by Pampanga police.
However, Petrasanta said, information that reached his office said that the operation of PAIDSOTG indicting the group of De Guzman on said irregularities.
He said that according to an intelligence report, a group of ten armed men in civilian attire on board a Hyundai Sta. Fe and a Nissan Urvan led by De Guzman stormed the house of “Mr. Lee” (Ding Wenkun) on November 29 last year, overpowering the detailed security of Woodbridge Subdivision.
After a few minutes the group left the house with two luggage bags and a medium sized vault but without Mr. Lee, Petrasanta said.
He said the confiscated items were not included in the list of evidence and that the certification of seized evidence was signed on November 30, 2013, a day after the operation, which categorically violates the standard operating procedure on anti-illegal drugs operations.
Mr. Lee was able to elude arrest during the operation by climbing the back fence of his rented house and ran to Barangay Nueva Victoria which is adjacent to where he is staying, according to Barangay Chairman Ernesto Esguerra, when Mr. Lee narrated as he sought assistance from village officials while offering bribe money for his escape.
However, the official rejected Mr. Lee’s request and instead turned him over to police authorities.
Petrasanta told Sun.Star Pampanga that he has ordered the filing of an administrative case against Baloyo who was then chief of Pampanga Intelligence Branch for command responsibility, as PAIDSOTG is under his command. (Ric Sapnu)