An agent of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) secure the perimeter of the Paulo Luna Resort and Spa while a court-issued freeze order was being served to its management.
/CDN photo/Lito Tecson
Law enforcers on Monday visited a beach resort in San Fernando town owned by self-confessed drug lord Franz Saballones to serve a court-issued freeze order against the said property.
The Paulo Luna Resort and Spa located in Barangay Bolinawan, San Fernando was among Franz’s properties that were subject of a freeze order issued by Executive Judge Gilbert Moises of the Regional Trial Court Branch 18 in Cebu City upon the request of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
Franz’s younger brother Frank received a copy of the order from operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7), San Fernando Police and a court sheriff.
The freeze order will allow management to continue to operate the resort but this will discourage any attempts to already dispose the property.
Frank said he assumed as resort manager to help their family business recover from losses it incurred last year, after Franz surrendered to Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to admit his involvement in the illegal drugs trade.
The young Saballones said that some of their employees already resigned because of the management’s difficulty in paying their workers wages which resulted from losses in their operations.
On Friday, PDEA-7 agents also accompanied the court sheriff in visiting Franz’s depository banks in Cebu City to also serve a court-issued freeze order on his bank accounts.
PDEA-7 Chief Yogi Felimon Ruiz said in an earlier interview that Franz’s assets include parcels of land located in San Fernando town and in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City have reached around P350 million.
Ruiz said the freeze order was issued to preserve Franz’s assets while there is ongoing investigation to determine whether or not his properties were acquired using drugs money and if continues to be actively involved in the illegal drugs trade.
Franz is given 20 days to comment on the petition for civil forfeiture of assets filed by AMLC, he added.