Surrenderer arrested anew for illegal drugs

Newly appointed Cebu City Police Chief, Senior Supt. Joel Doria (in uniform) witnesses the arrest of suspected drug pusher Nestor Maghanoy (foreground) who had earlier surrendered to the police in line with Oplan Tokhang. He was caught repacking shabu inside his residence in Barangay Mabolo.
CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA

A former street cleaner, who had five weeks earlier, surrendered to the police in line with Oplan Tokhang, was caught repacking 70 grams of shabu when policemen knocked at his house again to see how he was doing.

Nestor Maghanoy, 55, said he surrendered to the police because he thought the government would give him a job.

“Gisaaran man mi og trabaho apan hangtud karon, wala man gyud. So nibalik ko aning trabahoa (We were promised jobs but until now, there’s none. So I decided to go back to this kind of job),” he said in an interview.

“Dili sad baya mahimo nga wala koy trabaho. Mokaon baya ta. Gusto baya ta nga mabuhi. Unya sa akong edad, lisud na mangita og trabaho (I can’t stay idle for long. I have to eat. I need to survive. At my age, it’s hard to land a job),” he added.

Policemen conducting a follow-up Oplan Tokhang in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City Friday morning knocked on his door and found him repacking shabu.

Senior Insp. Homobono Sayon, chief of the Mabolo Police Station, said they revisited surrenderers to monitor them and ensure they have really stopped selling or using illegal drugs.

Seized from the suspect were 70 grams of shabu worth P826,000; at least four cellular phones; and money amounting to P26,570 in different denominations.

Holistic approach

Ivy Durano-Meca of the Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office said a more holistic approach should be undertaken to make Oplan Tokhang more effective.

She said that 240 persons surrendered in Sogod but none of them were serious about it.

“There were only two reasons why they surrendered – one is fear that they would be killed and second, they believed that if they surrender, they will be given jobs by the government,” Meca said.

She said their rehabilitation partners identified 10 of the 240 surrenderers as badly needing rehabilitation while the rest needed treatment but none of them agreed to undergo rehabilitation or treatment. All they wanted were jobs.

But Meca said providing livelihood to those needing rehabilitation and treatment would not be advisable because there is a good chance that what they earn will be used to fuel their addiction.

She instead urged better cooperation between the different government agencies to address the drug problem so that surrenderers receive the needed rehabilitation and treatment.

Charges
Meanwhile, charges of violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, particularly on illegal possession of drugs, are being readied against Nestor Maghanoy.

Since the prohibited drugs taken from the suspect weighed over five grams, the offense is non-bailable.

Maghanoy has been on the drugs watchlist in Mabolo, Sayon said.

He was arrested and charged for selling drugs in 2003. After five years, the trial court acquitted him of the charges.

Senior Supt. Joel Doria, the new Cebu City Police Office director, said policemen are directed to monitor the surrenderers of Oplan Tokhang.

“We need to make sure they don’t use or sell illegal drugs again,” he said.

Doria, who was present when Maghanoy was arrested, said they will trace Maghanoy’s contacts as well as his operations.

“We will exploit the gadgets we got from the suspect,” he said.

Mabolo Barangay Captain Reynaldo Ompoc said the surrenderers in his village will be given livelihood assistance as promised by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

But Ompoc said the surrenderers must report to the barangay twice a week and undergo rehabilitation.

He said Maghanoy didn’t report to him since the suspect surrendered during Oplan Tokhang last June 17.

“Why would we give jobs to those who don’t want to undergo drug rehabilitation? They must first comply with the requirements, otherwise we can’t give them jobs,” Ompoc said.