PHILIPPINE National Police chief General Debold M. Sinas yesterday ordered the administrative relief and investigation of three more ranking officials of the Olongapo City Police Office in the aftermath of the arrest of four of their fellow officers on suspicion of protecting a foreign-led shabu manufacturing syndicate and another policeman’s testing positive for marijuana use last week.
Earlier ordered relieved from his post was Olongapo City Police Office director Colonel Randy Arceo. Latest to be relieved were Major Reynold Macabitas, the chief of the City Intelligence Unit; Captain Ronelyn Sarmiento, commander of the Olongapo City Police Station 2; and Lieutenant Allan de los Reyes, the chief of the Olongapo City Drug Enforcement Unit.
According to PNP spokesperson Brigadier Gen. Ildebrandi N. Usana, the four officers will undergo investigation for failure to fully supervise their men and monitor their illegal activities.
He said that Gen. Sinas likewise instructed Police Regional Office 3 director Brig. Gen. Valeriano T. de Leon to supervise the filing of criminal and administrative charges against Lt. Reynaldo Basa, the chief of the Olongapo City Police Station 2 Drug Enforcement Unit and his men, Corporals Gino de la Cruz, Edesyr Victor Alipio and Godfrey Parentela following their arrest last Friday for reportedly protecting a foreign-operated “kitchen-type” shabu laboratory inside Subic Bay which was raided by combined agents of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Following the raid, Gen. Sinas ordered the drug testing of all 422 officers and men of the Olongapo City police force ferreted out Patrolman Reyland Intal of the Olongapo Police Mobile Force Company as a marijuana user.
All 396 others who were subjected to the same test by the PNP Crime Laboratory last Friday yielded negative results for dangerous drugs. Gen. Sinas said that 25 other personnel of the 422-strong Olongapo City Police Station who are either in schooling or on detail with other offices will also be subjected to a drug test.
Arrested during the raid at no. 366-B Finback West Kalayaan in SBMA, Olongapo City were “high-value target” Jerico Dabu and Lt. Basa and Corporals dela Cruz, Alipio and Parentela.
tine illegal drug laboratory 12:30 a.m. Friday.
Recovered during the anti-narcotics operation were around 1.3 kilos of shabu worth more than P7 million and the buy-bust money, four Glock 17 caliber 9mm semi-automatic pistols, five mobile phones and a Honda Civic with plate no. UKM-779.
Also recovered inside the suspected shabu lab were various laboratory equipment and chemicals reportedly being used to process the drugs prior to their distribution on the underground market.
Members of the CIDG National Capital Region Field Office headed by Colonel Randy Glenn G. Silvio spearheaded the operation with the assistance of the CIDG Zambales Provincial Office, the PNP Maritime Group, the PNP Drug Enforcement Group, the PNP Intelligence Group, the PDEA Regional Office 3 and NCR Office and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Law Enforcement Division. -30-
