MGB chief Roger de Dios (right) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region 13 complained to PRO-7 Deputy Director for Operations Senior. Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas (center) that Minglanilla police turned the persons arrested for illegal gambling into drug surrenderers of Oplan Tokhang. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
THE Minglanilla police tore to shreds the document signed by the 22 persons arrested during an illegal cockfight, which later identified them as drug surrenderers.
The father of one of the arrested persons, Roger de Dios, director of the Mines and Geosciences bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region 13 or the Caraga Region, complained to Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, police deputy regional director for operations in Central Visayas, that what was an arrest for an illegal cockfight was turned by the Minglanilla police into an “admission” that the arrested persons were into illegal drugs.
Lawas called for a conference yesterday between the Minglanilla police and the 22 Upper Linao residents to clarify the complaints against the police.
Lawas said the Minglanilla Police Station, led by Chief Insp. Florendo Fajardo, committed many lapses.
“Ang ilaha (complainants) after na-arrest kay involved sa tigbakay, ilang reklamo kay pag-abot sa station gipapirma daw sila isip surrenderers. Naay nibarog gyud nga dili gyud sila drug users. Mura bag kadtong ilahang gipirmahan dili gyud to mao. So gigisi to nato (The complainants said that after their arrest for involvement in an illegal cockfight, they were made to sign a sheet of paper as drug surrenderers. Most of them really stood firm that they were not drug users, so we tore up the list),” Lawas said.
The 22 Upper Linaw residents accused the Minglanilla Police of forcing them to sign a paper that said they were drug surrenderers who surrendered in an alleged Oplan Tokhang operation last December 25.
However, Lawas said that Fajardo explained to him that when they arrested the residents, he informed them about their campaign against illegal drugs and asked them if they were into illegal drugs.
“Kay morag ingon ani ba, ug dili ka mopirma, mapriso ka. Kihaan ka og illegal gambling maoy naa sa ilahang huna-huna (It was like if they would not sign, they would be imprisoned and charged with illegal gambling),” Lawas said.
He said he will recommend to PRO-7 director Chief Supt. Noli Talino administrative sanctions for Fajardo and his men.
Lawas said he will also call for a conference among police station chiefs so that the situation in Minglanilla would not happen again.
“Everything turned out well, but then again, we should talk about this in relation to what happened in Minglanilla. We will point out their mistakes so that it could be corrected. Because the next time around, I will not mediate. Ipakiha pa nako sila (I will even encourage that they be sued),” Lawas said.