The arrest of suspected drug lord Alvaro “Barok” Alvaro, said to be the top dealer in Cebu, came amid Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador’s outburst over allegations that Alvaro’s partner, Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz, was killed by cops to prevent him from squealing on his benefactors in government and the police.
While we understand Comendador for taking offense at allegations of a rubout that claimed Diaz’s life, even he must acknowledge the publics deep-seated distrust of people in uniform that built up over years of being victimized by some in their ranks through extortion, police brutality, physical and sexual harassment—the latest victim of police abuse being a female resident of Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City who accused policemen in the area of stealing her valuables and touching her privates on the pretext of a drug raid and conducting a body search on her.
That President-elect Rodrigo Duterte himself voiced suspicion over Diaz’s death in a police operation in Las Piñas City should validate the concern and the questions raised by some over whether or not Diaz could have been arrested by the police instead of being shot down.
The now opposition Cebu City officials who earlier flagged Diaz’s death as a rubout should dig deeper in order to prove their contention that “Jaguar” had connections with some officials and businessmen rather than simply issue statements for political brownie points.
Incoming Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña picked up on public sentiment and challenged the police to publicize the names of the people whom they suspect of having ties with drug lords but we hope Osmeña stays true to his promise to provide legal counsel to the police who may be threatened with legal action by the suspected drug lords or their cohorts in government and the private sector.
In this coming “Age of Duterte” where law enforcement agencies and the military are given nearly carte blanche authority to go after drug lords and their cohorts in every nook and cranny in the country, Osmeña’s suggestion to publicize the names of people with ties to the drug trade is dangerous since it violates the legal and moral presumption of people’s innocence before being proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.
That he suggested this in order to clear himself and the police of any suspicion of protecting Jaguar and other suspected drug lords is beside the point. Alvaro’s arrest and detention is a decisive break that will enable the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the police to build a case against these protectors of the illegal drug trade.
For now, the priority is to keep Alvaro alive and well long enough for them to pump information from him in order to build a case that will destroy the illegal drug trade networks in Cebu and across the country.