A GOVERNMENT official classified as a high-value target was arrested in an anti-drug operation by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Davao (Pdea-Davao) and the Davao del Sur Police Provincial Office on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Purok 6, Barangay Poblacion, Hagonoy, Davao del Sur.
Authorities identified the suspect as a 39-year-old male government employee known by the alias “Ren-ren.” A married resident of the barangay, he had been under surveillance for alleged involvement in the province’s illegal drug trade.
During the buy-bust operation, officers seized three sachets of suspected shabu weighing about 15 grams, with an estimated street value of P102,000. Pdea-Davao said the arrest followed a carefully planned entrapment based on validated intelligence reports confirming his activities.
A video posted by local content creator Michael Lape showed the suspect attempting to deny ownership of the drugs, but authorities placed him under arrest after completing the operation.
Pdea-Davao and the Davao del Sur Police condemned the involvement of any government employee in illegal drugs, stressing that public officials must uphold integrity and the law.
The arrest of a public official, they said, underscores the agency’s continuing campaign to cleanse the government ranks of individuals involved in narcotics.
The suspect is detained at Pdea-Davao’s facility and faces charges under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, specifically for the sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution, transportation, and possession of dangerous drugs. Penalties under the law range from life imprisonment to death and fines of P500,000 to P10 million, depending on the quantity of drugs seized. A conviction would also bar the official from holding public office under the 1987 Constitution and could trigger administrative sanctions under civil service and anti-graft laws, effectively ending his eligibility to serve in any government position. DEF