A lawyer assists Yogi Felimon Ruiz, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas chief, (left) in filing the complaints against Ermita barangay officials at the Office of the Visayas Ombudsman. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
PDEA-7 chief files four complaints against Rupinta, 7 others at Ombud
The head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas made good on his threat to file complaints against all the barangay officials of Barangay Ermita yesterday for their non-cooperation during a recent drug operation in their area.
PDEA-7 Director Yogi Filemon Ruiz filed three administrative complaints and a criminal complaint at the Office of the Visayas Ombudsman yesterday against the elected officials of Barangay Ermita.
Ruiz filed a criminal complaint for alleged violation of Article 233 (refusal of assistance) under the Revised Penal Code as well as administrative complaints for gross misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service on Friday morning before the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas.
Impleaded
Impleaded in the complaints are Barangay Captain Rupinta and Barangay Councilors Marky Rizaldy Miral, Antonieto Flores, Ryan Jay Rosas, Alio Tamundo, Domingo Ando, Maria Buanghug and Wilbert Flores.
Rupinta’s reaction
Rupinta, who learned about the filing of the complaints yesterday, said he and the other officials would face the complaints filed against them even as they denied the allegations of the PDEA-7 chief.
“Mao nay dako kaayo nga dimalas aning mga tawhana, mga bakakon … bakakon (That is the unfortunate thing about these people. They are liars … liars),” Rupinta told Cebu Daily News in an interview.
Despite the complaints filed against them, Rupinta assured yesterday that the barangay would still continue to support the antidrug efforts of PDEA-7 and other law enforcement agencies.
“We will still help them because that’s our obligation and because we want to eliminate illegal drugs in the barangay,” said Rupinta in Cebuano.
Reasons for filing
The complaints filed by Ruiz stemmed from alleged failure of the barangay officials to cooperate with PDEA-7 officers during a drug raid conducted in a “shabu tiangge” located within unit 2 of Carbon Public Market area last November 6. The raid yielded P800,000 worth of suspected shabu as well as the arrest of Richard “Tata” Cañete, who was suspected to maintain the alleged shabu tiangge in Sitio Bato, Barangay Ermita.
According to Ruiz’s complaint-affidavit, the barangay officials allegedly refused to heed their request for the presence of the barangay captain and a barangay councilor to witness the search and inventory and to help them implement the search warrant against Cañete and Josephine Cuyno in the barangay.
Ruiz claimed that the barangay officials contacted did not arrive, which resulted in serious damage to the interest of the public and prosecution of the case and put at risk the lives of the operating team while they waited for the barangay officials to arrive.
Citing Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act, Ruiz said that the barangay leaders play a key role in the criminal prosecution against illegal (drug) peddlers and that it is the duty of these officers to act as witnesses during conduct of physical inventory in antidrug operations.
Ruiz advice
Ruiz said that this should serve as a warning to them and that each one should contribute to the fight against drugs.
He said that since they are the barangay officials, they should be at the frontlines in the antidrug campaign, they should cooperate with their office, sincerely, properly and support the antidrug war.
He said that the barangay officials should not only act as witnesses but also provide information against the drug personalities in their area.
Rupinta, however, said that they were in the barangay hall during that Sunday raid and he claimed that they offered to help but PDEA-7 operatives refused their offer to help.