PDEA Claims Slain Former Butuan Police Officer on Drug Watch List

by Ben Serrano

June 14, 2009

BUTUAN CITY – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Caraga Regional Office today claimed that slain former Butuan policeman SPO2 Rolando Valdez was included in the long list of personalities under watch list.

Atty. Joey Quiriones, PDEA regional director for Caraga Region said Valdez locally known was under surveillance for alleged drug pushing activities

Quiriones told this writer Valdez has long been declared AWOL by the PNP and is supected to have engaged in various illegal activities.

Valdez who was formerly assigned in Butuan City Police Station 4 in Barangay Ampayon this city was shot dead Sunday last week in publicly known alleged shabu and other illegal drugs lair Barangay Ong Yiu this city.

Police Senior Inspector Jun Amora precint commander of Langihan District where the shooting incident happened said his investigators found sachets of hydrochloride methamphetamine or shabu from the slain police officer’s pocket.

Quiriones on the other hand claimed the anti-illegal drug agency is now also monitoring allegations that some Butuan City and Caraga policemen are involved in protecting illegal drug mafia-like activities in the region.

“We are closely monitoring them including even our men”, the no non-sense regional head in anti-illegal drug campaign said.

But Quiriones is quick to defend that illegal drug problem in Caraga Region is not as serious as other places or regions in the country.

“From scale 1 to 10 in terms of shabu problem, Caraga is on number 5 level and this is because of the ability expensive shabu nowadays were only the rich and the middle class can afford nowadays”, Quiriones added.

“But the illegal drug problem in Caraga Region is still serious considering some local politicians are behind it especially now that local elections draws near”, the lawyer PDEA regional director said.

The practicing lawyer turned regional director said he is sometimes dismay with some prosecutors’ uncooperative stance in the government’s anti- illegal drugs drive.

Quiriones said he and his men were once dismayed over a recent local prosecutor decision to release the arrested publicly known shabu pusher because of alleged technicalities which could have been ironed out.

He also claimed that other major problems hounding the illegal drug campaign in Caraga Region are; lack of logistics and personnel and the apathy of some local residents or public in general in helping the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign.