PDEA 7 director Yogi Filemon Ruiz presents three handheld radio seized in one of their anti-drugs operations. (CDN FILE PHOTO)
THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-7) confirmed that suspected drug pushers Manuel and Janice Godinez tapped the frequency of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) and other police stations in neighboring cities.
PDEA 7 director Yogi Filemon Ruiz urged the police stations to change their radio frequencies.
“Na-trace nato nga naka-tap sila sa frequency sa duha ka police units (We were able to trace that they had tapped the frequency of two police units),” Ruiz said.
The suggestion was welcomed by the police directors of the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.
On Jan. 27, PDEA 7 arrested the husband and wife tandem in Barangay Buaya, Lapu-Lapu City and allegedly recovered from their possession P6 million worth of shabu, three hand-held radios, a KG9 submachine gun, and money transfer receipts.
Both Manuel and Janice, who is also the former wife of the slain drug lord Joel “Tongol” Nudalo, admitted that they bought the hand-held radios from an online shop.
But Janice denied that they intended to tap the frequency of the police stations since the hand held radio can easily scan nearby frequencies.
Frequencies
The LCPO and the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) chiefs said they will check if their radio frequencies had been cloned.
MCPO director Senior Supt. Roberto Alanas said this is important in the light of the information from the PDEA 7 chief.
“That’s very risky kung yung aming frequency mismo ay namomonitor. So lahat ng galaw namin ay nagnenegative na,” Alanas said.
(That’s very risky if our frequency is being monitored. All our actions and operations will turn out negative.)
He said their work and operations would be compromised.
Cellphones for police ops
Alanas and LCPO director Senior Supt. Rommel Cabagnot said they use cellular phones during operations in their respective cities.
Cabagnot said that he is confident that bad elements could not monitor their operations since they are using cellphones.
“Tanan operations communication nato sa cellphone man. In fact if naa mi trabaho, naa mi kaugalingon cellphone for operations,” Cabagnot said.
(All operations communication are done through cellphone. In fact we each have a cellular phone for operations.)
Alanas also said that MCPO also uses cellphones for safety.