Police to ‘clean house’, go after cops tied to drugs

Chief Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., Police Regional Office chief, gives a pep talk to police personnel on the war against illegal drugs while Supt. Rex Derilo, chief of the Regional Intelligence Division (RID), recounts the operation that led to Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz’s demise in Las Piñas City. (CDN PHOTOS/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

NOW that two of the top drug personalities in Central Visayas had fallen, the police are looking to get rid of bad eggs in their ranks, Chief Supt. Patrocinio Comendador said yesterday.

“I have the names (of these policemen). And if we got their bosses, there’s no reason why we can’t catch them,” said Comendador, Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 chief.

He said they are looking into the involvement of some policemen in the illegal drug trade.

But Comendador reiterated that there are more good cops who live up to their mission to “serve and protect” the public.

Shortly after yesterday morning’s flag-raising ceremony at Camp Sergio Osmeña, Comendador encouraged the police to sustain the momentum in the fight against illegal drugs.

“We have gained the upper hand. Let us not squander the opportunity. Let us not let them (drug personalities) run, but instead create a smaller world for them,” he said.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma also expressed concern over the spread of illegal drugs, saying it is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

While going after drug personalities is good, the prelate reminded law enforcers to abide by the rule of law.

“It is not good for anybody to take justice in their own hands. That’s not the way to deter crimes,” he said.

Comendador, a normally soft-spoken person, lashed back at an official of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), who accused the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) of purposely killing Central Visayas’ top drug personality Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz Friday evening to prevent him from revealing who his police connections were.

Comendador described as “conspiracy theory” the statement of lawyer Augusto Isidoro, former NBI 7 Assistant Director and now the director of the NBI in Central Mindanao, that Jaguar was killed by policemen to silence him.

“For God’s sake, why did he (Isidoro) not arrest Jaguar and his protectors then? How I wish that Jaguar is still alive to tell the story. But can we sacrifice the safety of our men just to fill in the blank pages of conspiracy theorists?” he said.

RID chief Supt. Rex Derilo, who led the operation that killed Jaguar in Las Piñas City, was dismayed at insinuations thrown at them.

He admitted there are some members of the PNP and other law enforcement agencies who were implicated to Jaguar’s illegal drug trade.

Derilo appealed to erring police officers to change their ways or else they will suffer the consequences of their actions.

“To policemen who are implicated to illegal drugs: watch out. You cannot just get away with it. Dinamay n’yo kami. (You dragged us into the issue). There’s a bad impression on the police because of you. If you continue to do that, let’s see,” said Derilo in an interview.

While there were allegations of a rubout in Jaguar’s death, he insisted that the operation they conducted was “legitimate” and “properly executed.”

Jaguar, who was tagged the number one drug personality in Central Visayas, was killed along with his bodyguard — Paul Vincent Igloria — in what the police said was an encounter in Barangay Almanza 1, Las Piñas City, past 10 p.m. on Friday.

Half a kilo of shabu was seized from Jaguar who a week ago sent surrender feelers and claimed that he had become a changed man.

The subject of the operation, Alvaro “Baroc” Alvaro, however, managed to escape.

Alvaro, the top drug personality in Cebu province, is one of the suspects in the murder of Senior Insp. Jonas Tahanlangit, police chief of San Francisco town, Camotes Group of Islands last April 2016.

The police said they were surprised to see Jaguar with Alvaro in Las Piñas City.

Derilo said illegal drug operations in the Visayas region are expected to decrease following the death of Jaguar.

But he said they also anticipate the possibility that another person will take over Jaguar’s position. “The fight never stops,” he said.

He said Jaguar’s surrender feelers in the media was but a mere “publicity” to mislead the police./With USJ-R Intern Dafne Wenceslao