Capitol employee found 'sniffing' shabu
Friday, June 29, 2012
AS PRIVATE and public organizations celebrate the first anniversary of an anti-illegal drugs campaign initiated by the police, a regular employee of the Cebu Provincial Government and an unidentified woman were seen sniffing shabu inside one of the offices at the Capitol past midnight yesterday.
The traffic around Fuente Osmeña was heavier than usual yesterday afternoon because of the Movement Against Drugs (MAD) parade and anniversary celebration, which the police said drew about 22,000 participants from 20 schools and universities, and seven fraternities, government agencies and nongovernment organizations.
But several hours before the MAD activity, Capitol security guards discovered a Provincial Government employee and an unknown woman having a drug session inside the Provincial Planning and Development office (PPDO) on the third floor of the building.
A laborer assigned to the governor’s office may be involved as he was the one who brought the woman inside the Capitol.
Investigation
Sun.Star Cebu is withholding the name of the Capitol personnel pending their comments to the allegation. The two personnel did not report for work yesterday.
Provincial Administrator Eduardo Habin submitted his report on the incident to Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday. He will report it to the police today.
Habin said he will ask the Committee on Discipline and Investigation to investigate the regular employee and the involvement of the laborer.
According to a report filed by Tactical Security Agency (TSA) head Servillano Ancay, the Capitol employee entered the Capitol at 11:40 p.m. last Wednesday. Three minutes later, the casual laborer arrived with a woman, who reportedly wanted to use the restroom.
After 20 minutes, the guards saw the laborer went out without the woman. When they asked him, he told them that woman will be out shortly.
Blue guards Rosalio Tigle and Rowen Ilustrisimo became suspicious and went to inspect. They saw light coming from the PPDO office.
When they entered the PPDO office, they saw the regular employee and the woman sniffing what they believed to be shabu.
The TSA report did not explain how and why the guards failed to catch the two.
Paraphernalia
Recovered from the desk where the two were allegedly having a drug session were drug paraphernalia, two SIM packs, a cell phone, a cutter, padlock and a bunch of keys. One of the suspects also left a shoe.
On the same day this happened, Capitol launched with the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. an anti-illegal drugs campaign called, “Just Say No: Building a Safe and Drug-free Community.”
Under the program, towns will get a score card that will indicate how effective their anti-drug campaigns are. The local government unit with the highest score will receive an award.
During the MAD anniversary, organizers held a slogan-making contest, concerts and chant competition.
“This activity is designed to make people aware and to create interesting activities to divert the attention of the people from drugs,” said Cebu City Police Office Director Ramon Buenafe.
Fraternities
Among those that participated in the celebration were Alpha Kappa Rho and Tau Gamma fraternities, whose members used to fight, resulting in several deaths.
Alpha Kappa Rho won in the slogan-making contest. The group’s Visayas chief, Eric Agcaoili, said the fraternity supports the anti-drugs campaign and will not tolerate drug abuse among its members.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 7 Director Jigger Montallana said they welcomed reports of drug-related cases during the activity.
Jesus Alon, a high school student of Ramon Duterte Memorial High School, said he will urge his peers to stay away from illegal drugs. (USJR Intern Raycyril Estillore)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on June 29, 2012.
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