Three army soldiers are caught inside a drug den allegedly in possession of drug paraphernalia. They are arrested by the Guadalupe police.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Despite the recent arrest of three soldiers who were caught in a drug den last Saturday, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said they will still push through with plans of deploying soldiers in Barangay Ermita.
“Why should it affect? Because there are three soldiers who are taking drugs does not mean all soldiers are taking drugs,” Osmeña told reporters in a press conference on Tuesday morning.
He said that soldiers can be subjected to a drug test if necessary.
Three members of the Philippine Army in Cebu were caught during a raid by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7), allegedly in possession of illegal drug paraphernalia, Barangay Guadalupe last Saturday.
The suspects, corporals Joar Francisco, 34; George Gutierrez, 35; and Edrelle Bayles, 35, were arrested with four others in a makeshift room operated as a drug den.
Seized from the soldiers were disposable lighter, a hand-made tube, and tin foil believed to be used as a funnel.
Soldiers have been tapped by the Cebu City government to augment police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to eradicate illegal drugs.
Osmeña said the recent arrest won’t affect that decision saying eight soldiers will be deployed in Barangay Ermita for six months.