CACHE OF GUNS IN EX-MAYOR’S HOME

RAMIREZ ARRESTED. Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, newly installed director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), checks the firearms seized from the residence of former mayor and now incumbent councilor of Medellin Ricky Ramirez (in handcuffs) in Barangay Caputatan, Medellin, after it was raided by the police early on Wednesday, July 26, 2017.

Police raid in Medellin

A former mayor and now councilor of Medellin was arrested by the police yesterday after a cache of firearms was found in his home inthe town about 120 kilometers north of Cebu City.

Councilor Ricardo Ramirez, who had served as mayor of Medellin for nine years before his current position, was nabbed in a raid inside his residence in Barangay Caputatan, Medellin, at around 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

But while Ramirez was tagged as an alleged “high-value target” in the drug trade, no illicit drug was found during the raid.

Instead, police recovered eight firearms that had no licenses to show — two M16 rifles with telescope, a .30 caliber rifle, a .22 caliber rifle with telescope, .45 caliber gun, 9mm caliber pistol, two air guns.

The raiding cops, however, also found drug paraphernalia that included a digital weighing scale, tooter, rolled tin foils, and a lighter.

“This is just the beginning. We don’t stop here. Expect more operations to come (against alleged big-time criminals),” said Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) in a press conference.

Espino said Ramirez was in the police drug watch list as “a high-value target (HVT),” an accusation strongly belied by Ramirez.

Prior to Ramirez’ arrest, five other local officials in Cebu were arrested by the police since the first week of July in relation to their alleged involvement in illegal drugs.

These included a barangay captain in Badian town, three municipal councilors in San Fernando town, and a barangay councilor in Catmon town.

Espino said it was possible that Ramirez already cleaned his house of illegal drugs prior to the raid.

“Kung ikaw ay HVT at ikaw ay na-label na namin sa list, maingat na po sila. Kung alam na nila na target sila, they will clean up,” Espino said.

(If you are an HVT and you were already included in our list, they must be very careful. If they knew they are target, they will clean up.)Complaints for illegal possession of firearms and drug paraphernalia will be filed against Ramirez at the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.

Complaints for illegal possession of firearms and drug paraphernalia will be filed against Ramirez at the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.

Ramirez served as mayor of Medellin from 2007 to 2016. Having served three consecutive three-year terms and no longer eligible to run for another term, Ramirez ran and was elected councilor in the May 2016 elections.

Gun enthusiast 

Ramirez admitted owning the guns but not the drug paraphernalia.

He said he acquired the firearms from friends and acquaintances who decided to sell them to him when he was mayor.

“Kini laging baligyaan ta, dili ta makabalibad. Magamit man sad nako ang armas kay kuyog-kuyog ko sa Bantay Dagat ug kon dunay mga raids. (I could hardly refuse requests to buy their guns. Anyway, they were useful to me because I used to join the Bantay Dagat in patrolling the sea and in conducting raids),” Ramirez told Cebu Daily News over the phone after he was arrested.

In fact, he said, policemen in his town were not only aware that he had a gun collection but would sometimes even borrow guns from him when they needed more in conducting operations.

“Kung kuwang ang ilang armas, ari man na sila manghuwam nako. (If they lack firearms, the police would borrow from me),” he said.

A gun enthusiast, Ramirez said he usually used his gun collection whenever there were firing competitions in Cebu.

When he stepped down as mayor in 2016, he said his interest in guns waned. As a result, his guns’ licenses have expired.

“Dili naman ko mayor so dili na ko responsible sa peace and order sa among munisipyo. Wala na gani nay limpyo-limpyo ang akong mga armas, gitaya na ang uban. (I am no longer the mayor, so I am not

(I am no longer the mayor, so I am not anymore responsible for our town’s peace and order. I have not even cleaned my firearms for a long time now. Some of them have started to rust),” he said.

Drug accusations

On one hand, Ramirez denied allegations that he was involved in the illegal drugs trade.

He said the drug paraphernalia found inside his residence might have been left by his former househelp whom he fired years ago for allegedly stealing some of his firearms.

“Makita man ninyo nga abog na ang ilang nakuha. Diha na g’yud tingali na sa taas-taas nga panahon. (You could see that those drug paraphernalia the police recovered were dusty. It must have been there for a long time already),” he explained.

Ramirez admitted to have used illegal drugs, but that was when he was a teenager. He is now 53 years old, he said.

“You know, dili lang ta mag-inipokrito ba. Maot naman sad gud kaayo ta nga kon tibuok natong kinabuhi, buotan kaayo ta. Ako moangkon man ko nga niagi kog binugoy. Agi man gani kog inom-inom, wala nisulod sa klase, unya inig uli, hubog kaayo; sakay sa luyo sa jeep, magsuka unya monaog nga walay plete-plete,” he said.

(You know I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I won’t say that I am a very good person all my life. I’ll admit I was once naughty. I skipped classes and would go home drunk. I boarded a jeepney, would vomit and leave without paying the fare),” Ramirez said.

“Nakatilaw-tilaw ko ana (illegal drugs) kay barkadista sad gud ta. Kinsa may batan-on nga wala mag-agi ana oy? Mao na ang klaro. Niagi kog tilaw-tilaw. Dili ko ignorante niana (I tasted illegal drugs because I had a lot of friends. Who among young people did not ever try drugs? This is the truth. I tasted drugs, and I am not ignorant to that),” he added.

But he said he changed his life when he got married.

Ramirez, now with four children, said he would not have a problem with undergoing a drug test.

But in a radio interview shortly after he was arrested, Ramirez said he would only submit himself to drug test if there is a court order.

Thankful

Medellin Mayor Joven Mondigo, when reached for comment, said he was “thankful” to authorities for arresting Ramirez.

“The long arms of the law finally caught up with him. The police officers were just doing their job,” he told CDN.

“Actually, the arrest that happened just goes to show that the talks (that Ramirez is allegedly into illegal drugs) circulating around town is perhaps true. Medellin is a very small town, so rumors can spread very fast,” he added.

“I am happy that the police are going after the big fish now. This means that our government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs exempts no one,” he said.

Aside from the criminal complaints, Mondigo said Ramirez should also face an administrative complaint since he is an incumbent official.

“We want the administrative case against him to be devoid of politics. Other politicians must not take advantage on this case for their personal agenda,” he insisted.

Mondigo is a Liberal Party member while Ramirez ran under One Cebu, which endorsed the presidential candidacy of then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Mondigo said he would not comment further on Ramirez’ alleged links to illegal drugs, saying it is a matter best left to the police.
“I just don’t want this instance to be politicized,” he added.

The operation

The raid, jointly conducted by operatives of the Regional Intelligence Division, Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), was backed by a search warrant for illegal firearms issued by Judge Jacinto Fajardo of the Regional Trial Court Branch 66 in Talisay City.

But while the police were there to search for illegal firearms, Ramirez was also in the drug watch list.

Cebu’s anti-narcotics and police officials have vowed to run after big-time drug personalities and cut off the supply of illegal drugs after President Rodrigo Duterte declared that the campaign against drugs would be “unrelenting” despite criticisms about the human toll of his bloody drugs war.

Senior Supt. Eric Noble, CPPO director, said everyone, including the so-called drug protectors, would not be spared from their intensified drug operations.

“We have to double our efforts, and that include cleaning our own ranks,” he said.

Surrender now

Espino warned other officials and individuals who are into the illegal drugs trade to stop now and cooperate with the police.

He said they would welcome surrenders, but it would also mean that they would have to “divulge who their sources of illegal drugs are.”

Espino said there are still many incumbent government officials who are in their drugs watch list. But he declined to name them or even how many they were, saying their list was still undergoing validation.