Sun.Star Cebu

Where’s the boom?

- PUBLIO J. BRIONES III pjbriones@sunstar.com.ph

My, my. It looks like the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 has been dropping bombshells left and right. I mean, how else would you describe the revelation of the matrix of the Ecstasy distributi­on channel in Metro Cebu?

A shocker, right? I mean, especially when the police said that the persons behind this ring were members of alta sociedad. But that was just icing on the cake because the police also said the ring leader was a young woman.

But then that was it.

And how about that news about some politician­s in Mandaue City protecting members of the Parojinog drug syndicate?

It was sure to catch everybody’s attention. At least, the locals’, anyway. And it did.

Mandaue City Associatio­n of Barangay Councils president Ernie Manatad understood the seriousnes­s of the situation that was why he urged authoritie­s to validate the informatio­n on the intelligen­ce report first.

Vice Mayor Carlos Fortuna said they had known long before the barangay election that some local officials may be involved in some shenanigan­s.

It certainly didn’t help that P48 million worth of shabu was recently seized in a house in Barangay Cubacub, the second drug haul in that barangay.

Mind you, the vice mayor was not casting aspersions on anyone. He was just stating facts. In fact, that may have been one of the reasons Fortuna urged the police to release the names of officials involved because he didn’t want to have a cloud of doubt and mistrust hanging over the city.

“It creates a not so pleasant image if Mandaue is singled out,” Fortuna said.

Then there was the announceme­nt that six personalit­ies allegedly involved in the ambush of San Fernando Mayor Lakambini Reluya would be charged with multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder.

Of course, only two had been identified, suspected guns-for-hire Jerome Labitad and Felix Abacajan Jr. Of course, they can’t refute the allegation­s because they’re not in custody.

But didn’t PRO 7 Director Debold Sinas say that the PNP Crime Lab confirmed “from the ballistic exam and cross matching on Labitad’s weapons and that of the bullets found at the ambush were one and the same?”

Well, there you go. So how come the Cebu Provincial Police Office didn’t know about that?

As for the other four, well, we don’t have any names because apparently the police have yet to identify them. Oh, no mention was made of the mastermind so never mind that.

You know, there’s no denying that these issues were dropped on the public like bombshells. The only problem is it feels like the bombshells failed to detonate.

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