PDEA 10 UNVEILS DRUG PROTECTOR'S LIST

PHILIPPINE Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 10 Chief Rene Orbe revealed they
now have a new list of police officers now acting as "protectors" for some
drug pushers in Cagayan de Oro City.

"These are new names of police officers and we now have a list of them," he
told Sun.Star. He added he would be submitting this new list to Philippine
National Police (PNP) 10 regional director Supt. Nicolas Pasinos who has
the "jurisdiction and command" to keep and eye over these police officers
suspected to be protecting drug pushers.

Orbe admitted their list of police officers that are allegedly "drug
protectors" is getting shorter until recently when they received reports
that there are now a number of suspected drug pushers who were apprehended
but were later released.

This local drug czar confessed to being puzzled as to why these drug
pushers have now rejoined the mainstream where they could again be a threat
to society.

"Nagtataka talaga kami bakit nakalaya sila lalo na 'yong lumabag sa bagong
Dangerous Drugs Act," he said. (We are really baffled as to why these
suspects are now free, particularly those who have violated the new
Dangerous Drugs Act.)

Orbe then recounted how they have apprehended a man who was once caught as
a drug pusher but was later released by the police.

He said this man admitted to them that some police officers accepted his
bribe money and released him.

"The man even told me that these police officers have been doing this
(accepting bribe money) for the release of some of the other drug pushers
who were arrested earlier," he said.

Orbe said they already have the names of these police officers and that
they are just waiting for them to make a single wrong move.

"They (police officers suspected of being drug protectors) better watch out
as we are also monitoring them," he said. LJA