Comendador believes Jaguar had multi million pesos in bank accounts that should now go to the government
Although top drug dealer Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz had fallen, police officials don’t want to take chances.
Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO 7), said they were looking into Jaguar’s properties and bank accounts to trace any irregularities, and eventually seize them in favor of the government.
“We will destroy their apparatus. We must disable them so they could not launch any counter-offensive,” he said.
Comendador directed Supt. Henry Biñas, head of the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division, to head the investigation alongside the accountants from the Philippine National Police.
Comendador said he also started coordinating with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to track and freeze Jaguar’s bank accounts that he believed run into millions of pesos.
“The government could utilize whatever we get out of Jaguar’s properties for rehabilitation projects or the expansion of our jails,” said Comendador in an interview after the 888 News Forum at the Marco Polo Plaza yesterday.
Based on their investigation, Jaguar had real properties in Cebu, Las Piñas City, and in other parts of the country.
These properties, Comendador said, are under the name either of his relatives or some lawyers whom he refused to identify.
Asked if these are practicing lawyers in Cebu, he said, “We’ll see afterwards.”
Jaguar, who was tagged the number one drug personality in Central Visayas, was killed along with his bodyguard, Paul Vincent Igloria, in what police said was an encounter in Las Piñas City last June 17.
Half a kilo of shabu valued at about P1.2 million was seized from Jaguar who, only a week earlier, claimed he was a changed man and wanted to surrender to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.
Strafing
A day after he was killed, two unidentified men strafed a Talisay City pension house owned by Jaguar’s mother, Gaudiosa Diaz.
Past midnight Tuesday, about 45 minutes after Jaguar’s body arrived in Barangay Duljo-Fatima, Cebu City, three unidentified men peppered Nuat Thai Foot and Body Massage parlor with bullets. (See separate story on page 2.)
The massage parlor, located about 500 meters from Jaguar’s private compound, was purportedly owned by the slain suspected drug lord although police investigators were still verifying the report.
Comendador said he ordered the police stations of the cities of Cebu and Talisay to conduct an investigation on the strafing incidents.
“Some people might be mad at Jaguar because he acquired these properties through illegal means. We don’t want to discredit the family but that is the reality,” he said.
Comendador said they will conduct an anti-illegal drug seminar in Barangay Duljo-Fatima where Jaguar grew up to inform residents about the ill-effects of drugs. A police troop, composed of 20 personnel, would also be deployed in the village, he added.
Jaguar had received wide protection from residents whom he gave food supply and other help.
But for now, Comendador said they intended to go after the resources of Jaguar’s group so they could not launch a counter-attack against policemen.
“If we prevent and control drugs in the region, we will likewise control the onset of all predicate crimes from murder to the thieveries. I was just assigned just a little over two months here, but I’m sure of my mission and that is to neutralize drug lords,” he said.
Impossible
But veteran trial lawyer Inocencio De La Cerna Jr. said it would be nearly impossible for law enforcers to seize Jaguar’s properties.
“Basically, our policemen need to go through the eye of a needle if they want to seize Jaguar’s properties,” said De La Cerna whose legal opinion regarding the matter was sought by CDN.
In the first place, De La Cerna said not a single criminal complaint was filed against Jaguar after the latter was released from the National Bilibid Prisons in 2010.
And even granting that Jaguar was charged in court, he could no longer be held liable following his death.
“Remember, under the rules, death extinguishes all criminal liabilities of a person,” De La Cerna said.
He said there would be no basis for the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to act on any request from the Philippine National Police (PNP) regarding Jaguar’s properties.
“The police has to establish that Jaguar’s properties are fruits of a crime. But up to now, there’s even no criminal case filed against him. Seizing Jaguar’s properties is tantamount to ‘confiscation of private properties’ which is against our constitution,” the lawyer said.
Reward
Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor-elect Tomas Osmeña on Monday handed P100,000 cash to Supt. Rex Derilo, head of the Regional Intelligence Division, and Supt. George Ylanan of the Regional Special Operations Group, who led the operation that killed Jaguar and his bodyguard.
Derilo’s team was the fourth batch to receive the reward from Osmeña who earlier offered P50,000 to policemen for each drug lord, a robber, or any criminal who gets killed.
“People are telling me that after news of Jaguar’s death, many drug pushers are now moving out of Cebu City because of fear. Good for them. We will take care of the ones that remain,” said the incoming mayor in a post on his Facebook page.
In an television interview yesterday, Osmeña said claims that Jaguar was killed to prevent him from revealing the names of his police contacts was “possible.”
“Anything can happen. But I don’t believe in that. I’ve been doing my best. My primary concern is the safety of all Cebuanos and the victims of illegal drugs. What happened to Jaguar and other drug personalities is not my concern. I don’t care what will happen to them,” he said.
Osmeña also said he would want the PNP to retain Comendador as PRO 7 director. Comendador headed the Cebu City Police Office when Osmeña was mayor a decade ago. Osmeña said Comendador has his full trust and confidence.
Fight continues
Derilo, for his part, said the illegal drug operations in the Visayas were expected to decrease following the death of Jaguar. But they also anticipated the possibility that another person will take over Jaguar’s position.
“The fight never stops,” he said.
Derilo reiterated anew that they got the names of the policemen and government employees who were reportedly linked to Jaguar even before the latter expressed his intent to surrender.
“We have the list. We know who they are. Although the reports were validated, we could not reveal them yet because these are not substantiated with evidence. What we have are plain intelligence information,” he said.
While Jaguar lied low in Central Visayas, he was on top of the operations in the region as well as in Eastern and Western Visayas, and lately in the National Capital Region, said Derilo.
He said Jaguar’s surrender feelers in the media was a mere “publicity” to mislead the police.
Derilo said they noticed that Jaguar’s face had slightly changed but they still identified him through the tattoos on his body.
“Actually, the texture of his face had smoothened. It’s as if he underwent cosmetic procedures. But still he was Jaguar. The operatives still knew him,” he said.
From May 10 to June 21, 2016, policemen captured 12 to 15 big time drug operators in the region. Two of the top 10 drug personalities in Central Visayas — Jaguar and suspected drug lord Rowen “Yawa” Secretaria — were killed.
Last May 28, Cebu-based policemen killed Secretaria and his two alleged cohorts on Banacon Island in Bohol. Secretaria was the number three drug personality in Central Visayas.