Next to Ermita, Carreta — PDEA goes after Calamba

An alleged rogue policeman, PO1 Julius Cuyos (face covered) and two others were arrested by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Wednesday inside a suspected drug den along A. Lopez Street in Barangay Calamba, Wednesday. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

After a string of successful operations in the drug-prone barangays of Ermita and Carreta, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the region (PDEA-7) is now training its sights on another drug-prone village in Cebu City — Calamba, an area notorious for drug deals on street corners and dark alleys with young boys and girls used as couriers to avoid police detection and evade criminal liability.

In a buy-bust operation on Wednesday dawn, PDEA-7 agents arrested 14-year-old Peter (not his real name) after the teenager handed two plastic packs of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) to an undercover agent.

The PDEA operation along A. Lopez Street yielded P300,000 worth of shabu from the young boy. He did not resist arrest.

Hours earlier, the agents also arrested a policeman and two other persons.

PO1 Julius Cuyos and a woman, identified as Grace Escopete, were inside a suspected drug den allegedly maintained by a certain Edgar Rafols.

The subject of the drug bust, Marites Aniñon, eluded arrest.

Recovered inside the house were packs of shabu amounting to P130,000.

The three suspects were subjected to a drug test shortly after their arrest and were found positive of the prohibited substance, said PDEA-7 Director Yogi Filemon Ruiz.

Charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, particularly for visiting a drug den, will be filed against PO1 Cuyos and Escopete.

“This is just a small group, but we consider them as high-value targets mainly because they (Aniñon and Rafols) are operating a drug den,” Ruiz said.

Rafols, who was present in the suspected drug den, will be charged for “visiting a drug den” while Aniñon, who was not around at the time, will be cited for selling illegal drugs.

PO1 Cuyos became a member of the Philippine National Police in 2007. He was later assigned at the Mandaue City Police Office and later at the Cebu Provincial Police Office before he went on absence without official leave (AWOL) in 2015.

Ruiz is also bent on filing criminal charges against Peter despite a special law that gives minors 15 years old and below immunity from criminal prosecution.

“As far as I can remember, this is the first time we (PDEA-7) arrested a minor (since I assumed as director last July 2016). This shall serve as a test case,” he said in an interview, Wednesday.

Based on their investigation, Ruiz said Peter was arrested at least five times in the past for carrying and peddling illegal drugs.

The boy, however, escaped prosecution as mandated under Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2004.

“This time, I will really file charges against him. It’s up to the prosecutor to have him released or not. I just have to do what I ought to do,” Ruiz said.

“Let this be a warning to minors or people who use young boys and girls in their illegal drug business. You just can’t get away from your liabilities,” he added.

In the meantime, Ruiz said Peter will be turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for proper disposition.

Under Section 6 of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, “a child 15 years of age or under at the time of the commission of the offense shall be exempt from criminal liability.”

The law also mandates authorities to release the child to the custody of his or her parents or guardian, or in the absence thereof, the child’s nearest relative.

The local social welfare and development officer shall determine the appropriate programs in consultation with the child and to the person having custody over the child.

Ruiz said Peter’s father died years ago while the boy’s mother is detained at the Women’s Correction Center in Manila after she was convicted of a drug-related case.

PDEA-7 agents hatched an entrapment operation against Peter and a certain “Jeje” after they received reports regarding the illegal operations of the suspects.

An agent of PDEA-7 transacted with Peter, who agreed to bring packs of shabu along A. Lopez Street in Barangay Calamba, Cebu City, past 3 a.m. on Wednesday.

When the deal was consummated, the agents immediately arrested the minor.

Peter’s alleged cohort, Jeje, eluded arrest. /with USJ-R Jheysel Ann S. Tangaro