Police won’t name brgy chair in drug trade

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

FEARING for their lives, a barangay chairperson and councilor in the city responded to “Oplan Tokhang” and turned themselves in but police just wouldn’t identify the two officials.

Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) spokesman Chief Insp. Allan Curato said the village chief and councilor voluntarily went to the Lumbia police station, and admitted that they engaged in the distribution of illegal drugs.

Lumbia police station’s jurisdiction include at least 12 hinterland barangays like Lumbia, Bayanga, Mambuaya, Dansolihon, Tignapoloan, Besigan, Tumpagon, Pigsag-an, Tuburan, Taglimao, Tagpangi, and Pagalungan.

Curato however would not name the officials who supposedly confessed to being involved in the illegal drugs trade the same way the police have been identifying other “Tokhang” responders.

“Dili lang nato nganlan kay mi-surrender sila. They personally appeared before the police station chief of Lumbia,” Curato said.

Even in the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Badac) list, the two barangay officials were not included as “drug personalities.”

“They don’t belong to one barangay. Lahi-lahi kini sila og barangay nga giserbisyohan,” Curato said.

He said city police director Senior Supt. Ronnie Francis Cariaga has contacted the local office of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) about barangay officials.

Curato said Cocpo also submitted the list of all the drug personalities in the city to Camp Alagar.

“Gapaabot kita nga duna pa’y mosunod ani nga mga local barangay official nga motahan sa ilang kaugalingon sa doul nga police station sa ilang tagsa-tagsa ka mga lugar. Ubay-ubay pa kini sila nga wala pa mo-surrender,” he said.