PDEA charges local officials for refusal to assist during drug raid

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against several members of a barangay council in Cebu City for failing to assist PDEA agents in conducting an inventory of pieces of evidence culled from drug raids conducted in their areas of responsibility.

PDEA Director General Isidro S. Lapeña identified the respondents as Felicisimo Rupinta, Barangay Chairman; and Barangay Councilors Marky Rizaldy Miral, Antonieto Flores, Ryan Jay Rosas, Alio Tamundo, Domingo Ando, Maria Buanghug, and Wilbert Flores all from Barangay Ermita, Magallanes Cebu City. They were charged with refusal of assistance under the Revised Penal Code.

“Barangay Ermita officials were charged on the grounds of gross misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service after they failed to lend cooperation towards the administration of justice,” Lapeña said.

Court records showed that at around 5 p.m. last November 6, 2016, elements of PDEA RO7 implemented two search warrants in the residences doubling as drug dens in Sitio Bato, Barangay Ermita Cebu City.

The raid led to the arrest of alleged drug den maintainers Richard Canete, alias Tata/Opaw; and Josephine Cuyno, alias Nanay, and several others who were caught sniffing methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, inside the den.

PDEA RO7 agents then proceeded to the barangay hall of Barangay Ermita, which is 500 meters away from the scene, to request for the presence of Rupinta or any barangay councilor to witness the search and inventory of seized drug evidence, in compliance with Section 21, Article II of Republic Act 9165, or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The duty barangay public safety officers (BPSO), or barangay tanod, called Rupinta over the phone and requested his presence, or any of his councilors to witness the conduct of the inventory.