OZAmiz
city—City Police Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido arrested anew three drug suspects after
conducting a real-time serving of search warrants, Dec. 6, Wednesday evening.
The police operations came barely two
days after President Rodrigo Duterte brought the Philippine National Police
(PNP) to support the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the
government’s war on illegal drugs and almost two months after he barred them
from joining the campaign following the deaths of teenage suspects.
Those arrested were identified by
police as Melodin Malingin, Gaudencio Malingin, known supporters of the
Parojinogs in the city.
The PNP seized eight kilos of shabu,
eight plastic bags and a rolled aluminum foil from the Malingins residence and
another two kilos of shabu in two plastic bags, one unit steel vault, one
airsoft rifle, and one long magazine from the house of Maychell Parojinog
Gumapac.
Espenido was quoted from an
interview as saying the shabu that were discovered were the old supply which the
Parojinogs kept.
He added that a total of 86 kilos were
gathered by police intelligence information since last year coming from Cebu
City transported by sea.
The police chief also revealed that
a certain Butch Merino, a former driver and bodyguard of detained Vice Mayor
Princess Nova Parojinog, was arrested earlier at a checkpoint, yielding some P8
million worth of illegal drugs, a firearm and two magazines.
Police said Merino has identified
his supplier as a certain Melden Rabarez who was also arrested in an entrapment
operation along with Roselyn Walohan.
Rabarez and Walohan, at the time of
their arrest, surrendered P27 million cash and a kilogram of shabu intended for
a distributor in Lanao.
The PNP has given the names of the Malingins,
Gumapac, Manuelito Francisco, Rizalina Francisco, June Francisco, Ricardo
Parojinog and Christopher Parojinog as either supporters and relatives of the
slain Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr.
Seized from the house of Franciscos
were one M4 Boost Master, three short M16 magazine, one bandoler, 90 pieces
live ammunition of M16, two rifle grenade launchers, three live ammunition of
M203 and 20 empty cartridges of M16.
Meanwhile, recovered from the house
of the Parojinogs were one M16 rifle, one steel short magazine, 19 live
ammunition of 5.56 caliber and one hand grenade.
Espenido told reporters that
because the Parojinogs were already not in power in Ozamiz, they are now having
difficulties to earn money and sell their illegal drugs.
He likewise said he received
information that Nova Parojinog still has an involvement on the alleged drug
transactions even if she is detained at the PNP Custodial Center as somebody
would contact her about the shabu dealings here.
In Duterte’s recent order, the PNP can
join anti-drug raids but have to coordinate their actions with the PDEA, which
will continue to lead the campaign. (MICHAEL MEDINA The Philippine Preview)