By NITZ ARANCON
and JOEY NACALABAN
Correspondents
A REGIONAL court found a former barangay chairman in Misamis Oriental guilty of keeping illegal drugs in his home and slapped him with a life-imprisonment sentence.
The verdict was handed down on Wednesday, incidentally, hours before authorities arrested a town councilor caught with suspected shabu in Lugait, Misamis Oriental.
Sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison was Honiforte Ladaran Redondo Jr., a former barangay chairman of Banglay in Lagonglong town, Misamis Oriental.
Judge Arthur Abundiente of the 25th branch of the Regional Trial Court here found Redondo guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violation of the Comprehensive Drugs Act.
Abundiente also ordered Redondo to pay a fine of P400,000.
Redondo was arrested by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents after they found him keeping a considerable supply of shabu in his house in Banglay, Lagonglong town on June 1, 2018.
The raid was carried out by the PDEA based on a search warrant issued by a court.
Redondo had denied the PDEA’s allegation and asserted that the evidence was planted, a claim Judge Abundiente rejected.
Reads part of Abundiente’s decision: “This allegation, unfortunately, was debunked by the accused himself when he signed the Certificate of Good Conduct Search. Thus, this defense, the Court believes, was just an afterthought and could not refute the presumption of regularity in the performance of the duties granted by law in favor of the PDEA operatives who conducted the search.”
The judge said neither was there evidence that authorities deviated from their mandate nor proof that they acted with malice or ill-will.
“No evil motive was attributed to them. There is no rhyme nor reason why, of all people who reside in Lagonglong, the PDEA operatives would choose the accused as their victim if such was the case,” Abundiente continued. “The fact that the PDEA operatives took circuitous way of securing a search warrant instead of just incriminating him by fabricating a false scenario of a buy-bust transaction showed that they were in good faith and were earnest and serious in their suspicion about the illegal activities of the accused.”
Meanwhile, police arrested a municipal councilor in Lugait town for alleged possession of illegal drugs during a buy-and-bust operation carried out at his home at around 9 pm Wednesday.
Lugait police chief Lt. Nilo Maderse identified the suspect as 49-year-old councilor Dennis Bacatan of Purok Mauswagon, Poblacion, Lugait town.
Maderse said Bacatan has been in the police’s watchlist and has been considered a high-value target in Region 10.
Police claimed to have seized from the official P12,800 in cash and sachets of suspected estimated to command a selling price of P100,000.
Police also alleged that a fragmentation grenade was seized from the suspect.
Provincial police director Col. Roy Bahian said Bacatan’s arrest was a result of a collaboration among Camp Alagar’s Regional Drug Enforcement Unit, Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit, and the PDEA in Misamis Oriental.
