REGULATE APARTMENT LEASING

Above is the apartment in Barangay Sambag II where the suspected drug pushers were
arrested by the police. P36.6 million in shabu was confiscated. Barangay Captain Ryan Aznar was alarmed by the presence of drug personalities in his barangay. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella said he wants the Cebu City Council to enact an ordinance to regulate leasing of apartments in the city.

This could entail requiring apartment owners to do a background check on the possible tenants, ask for police clearance or similar document and do a profile of their renters to be submitted to the barangay.

Labella said he supports the call of Cebu City Police Director, Senior Supt. Royina Garma to regulate apartment leasing because drug personalities were allegedly using these apartments as hideouts.

“I concur in toto with the suggestion of Cebu City Police Director Garma. This is a step in the right direction,” Labella told Cebu Daily News in a text message.

“I will immediately request any member of the council to pass the necessary legislative intervention in accordance with existing national statutes and the Constitution,” he said.

Alarmed

Sambag II Barangay Captain Ryan Aznar expressed alarm over the presence of drug personalities in his village especially that Sambag II is within the university belt of Cebu City where apartments, boarding houses, and dormitories are abundant.

“Makaalarma gyod ni nga naa ni sila dinhing dapita kay kasagaran nangrenta dinhi mga estudyante baya. Delikado kaayo ni para sa atong mga estudyante. (This is alarming because in our barangay, most boarders are students. The presence of illegal drugs is dangerous for the students),” said Aznar.

He said he will consult the Cebu City Council to legislate an ordinance or a resolution to regulate boarders and apartments in Barangay Sambag II.

“As much as we want to regulate these apartments, wala man ta’y balaod nga nagsulti nga pwede nato ni sila i-regulate ang mga nagpuyo dinhi (we have no law that says we are allowed to regulate those living in rented places),” he said.

He said that it would be easier to create a barangay resolution since it will only require the approval of the barangay council.

Aznar said that the resolution would require landlords to do a background check on their boarders before accepting them, require renters to submit a police clearance or similar document, and, perhaps, require landlords to do a profile of their boarders to be submitted to the barangay for record purposes.

“The legalities we are still going to determine. Anyway, this will take time because we need to make sure we are aligned with the city’s ordinances and the national law,” he added.

Problem

However, Aznar said he will also propose to the City Council to pass an ordinance to regulate apartment leases so that the campaign will be spread to the entire city.

“This problem is not just in our barangay. Other barangays need to regulate their areas because we never know where these drug personalities are hiding,” said Aznar.

He will also seek the help of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) to create its own resolution for the proposed safety measure.

Meanwhile, Aznar said he has deployed more tanods in the residential areas of Barangay Sambag II to monitor any illegal activities.

“We cannot enter private properties including apartments without a proper resolution but we can make sure the people are safe on the streets,” said Aznar.

On Friday evening, CCPO was able to confiscate P41.8 million worth of shabu (crystal meth) inside an apartment along Urgello Street in Barangay Sambag II, Cebu City.

This was the second time that a large drug stash was found inside an apartment in barely two weeks, with the discovery in mid-November of over P39 million worth of shabu in another apartment unit in Barangay Tisa, which was used as a base of operation of another drug group.

Source

Police investigators claim that they already have a lead on the alleged source of the P41.8 worth of shabu confiscated at Barangay Sambag II.

Guadalupe Police Precinct Commander, Senior Insp. Dexter Basirgo however refused to give details.

“Dili ta ka divulge (too much information) pero nay tay hibaw-an asa gikan source,” said Basirgo.

Last Friday, Michael Carabaña, Jemuel Enrile, Arnold Arquiza, and Agustin Quijano were arrested in a buy bust operation by the drug enforcement unit of the Guadalupe Police Station with a total of 3.4 kilos of shabu allegedly confiscated from the
suspects.

Basirgo said that the high quality shabu they confiscated came from Luzon.

But as to the direct source of the drug peddlers, Basirgo said that they are still investigating since the suspects also claimed that they do not have a direct contact.

“Lahi ni siya sa na-confiscate sa Barangay Tisa. Kay kadto (in Tisa) may pagka brown, kani siya puti kaayo. High quality g’yud,” said Basirgo.

(This is different from the one confiscated in Barangay Tisa. Because the one in Tisa is brownish while this one in Barangay Sambag II is very crystal-like and white. Very high quality)

Last month, the police were able to confiscate a P39 million worth of shabu also inside a rented apartment in Barangay Tisa.
The police were able to arrest Jeffrey Cabaron during the buy-bust operation.

Financier

The police however said they were able to trace one of the “financiers” of the group of Carabaña.

“Naay gi-divulge nga usa sa ilahang financer naa sa sulod (jail) Metro Cebu. Usa ka piniriso,” said Basirgo.
(One of the suspects revealed that one of their financiers is currently detained inside a city jail in Metro Cebu. An inmate)

However, Basirgo again declined to reveal the name of the inmate or the detention facility where he is being detained, saying they are still doing a follow-up investigation.