Barangay chief nabbed for drugs

Eduardo Bacalso, barangay captain of Sangi, Toledo City, is being processed at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency office in Cebu City after his arrest. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

A barangay captain in Toledo City, western Cebu, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly peddling illegal drugs.

Eduardo Bacalso, barangay captain of Sangi, Toledo City, was caught in a drug bust inside his residence at past 5 p.m.

He did not resist arrest.

Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) who conducted the operation recovered from Bacalso’s possession 105 grams of suspected shabu worth P378,000 and an unlicensed .38 revolver.

Charges of violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, particularly for selling illegal drugs, will be filed against him before the prosecutor’s office. The offense is non-bailable.

PDEA-7 Director Yogi Filemon said Bacalso is the first barangay official to be arrested for allegedly selling illegal drugs this year.

PDEA-7 warning

Ruiz also said there are a number of barangay captains in Cebu who are allegedly into illegal drugs.

He, however, did not elaborate on this, but he advised them to stop their illegal activities or they will suffer the consequences of their actions.

“You may want to start looking for a decent business. We, in PDEA, will not stop running after you. If you won’t stop, one of these days, you too will be arrested,” Ruiz said.

Accusations denied

Sought for comment, Bacalso denied the accusations against him.

“Wala gyud ko namaligya og shabu. Dili na ako ang mga shabu nga ilang nakuha (I’m never involved in selling illegal drugs. The packs of shabu recovered from me were not mine),” he said in an interview at the PDEA-7 office.

Bacalso served for two terms as barangay councilor before he won as village chief of Sangi in 2013.

He said his enemies in politics might have been responsible for his arrest.

“Ila sad na nga dauton ko. Dawaton nako na. Pero limpyo ang akong konsensya (It’s their choice to destroy my reputation. I accept that. But my conscience is clear),” Bacalso said.

Drug user

He, however, admitted that he was a drug user when he was a teenager, but decided to stop when he got married.

“Mauwaw ko kay barangay official na baya ko (I’m ashamed to use drugs especially because I became a barangay official),” he said.

Drug personality

But Ruiz said that the 50-year-old barangay captain was a a top drug personality in Toledo City based on a certification issued by the Toledo City police.

“We’ve been transacting with him, but he would lie low every time he noticed that he was being monitored,” Ruiz said.

“We, however, did not stop pursuing him until we finally got his trust,” he added.

In 1992, Bacalso was charged with murder after he purportedly killed a man when he was a member of the Special Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu). The case was eventually dismissed.

Ruiz reminded barangay captains and other elected officials not to take part in any illegal activity and to become a good example to the people.

First councilman

Lawyer Aiiza Fiel Nogra, legal officer of the Department of Interior and Local Government in Central Visayas, said the number one councilman of Barangay Sangi will take over the place of Bacalso, who is behind bars pending the resolution of the charges against him.

“There’s no need for any appointment. The first councilor of the barangay just have to take over the position to make sure the basic services of the barangay won’t be interrupted,” Nogra said in an interview yesterday.

For his part, Celestino “Tining” Martinez, Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) Cebu Chapter president, said he condemned Bacalso’s being involved in the illegal drug trade and that Bacalso should face the consequences of his actions.

Martinez, who is also the barangay captain of Cayang, Bogo City, said that the ABC would not stand for or support any member, who are into illegal drugs.