Corruption

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Drug Dealer in the Philippines


AN ALLEGED big-time drug dealer has sought the immediate dismissal of the charges against him, insisting that the buy-bust operation, which led to his arrest in Bacolod City, was a set-up.
Angelo Bongco, 40, a contractor who resides along Sharina Heights in Barangay Taculing, Bacolod City, claimed in his counter affidavit dated June 30 that authorities illegally arrested him.
He was arrested on June 18 in joint operations of the National Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force, Regional Special Operations Group and City Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group personnel.
He faces two separate charges for violation of Section 5 and Section 11 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which were filed against him before the City Prosecutor’s Office last June 22.
Bongco said that the buy-bust operation led by Police Senior Inspector Jomarie Occeño was a big lie, claiming that Occeno was not the one who arrested him but the three Tagalog-speaking men who grabbed him from behind when he and his companion, Roshi Garces, alighted from his car.
He said he was immediately handcuffed and brought inside the backseat of his car while Garces was being beaten up by the three men who arrested them.
Bongco also claimed that the three men who arrested them didn’t inform them why they were arrested and they were also not informed of their constitutional rights.
He added he was interrogated but he refused to answer them and the man who sat beside him allegedly hit his chest, asking him where he got the alleged ecstasy pills.
He said when the media arrived in the area, the men stopped their interrogation and beating on him.
He said he was then brought outside his car and he saw his personal belongings on top of the compartment of his car.
He added that after the arrival of the media and the Barangay Singcang-Airport officials, his companion Garces was nowhere to be found.
Bongco claimed that he later realized that the Tagalog-speaking persons were only play-acting when they beat Garces, stressing that he was a victim of a set-up by the police authorities with the cooperation of Garces.
Bongco was arrested after he handed to a police poseur-buyer 617 pieces of ecstasy tablets.
After searching his car, police recovered from him a total of 717 pieces of ecstasy tablets with total market value of approximately P1,075,500.
However, in the affidavit of Bongco, he claimed that, if it is true that he received or touched the marked money, then his fingerprints could be found all over the said marked money or in the light green paper bag.
In a press conference Wednesday at the Negros Press Club, Eduardo Bongco Jr., the older brother of Angelo, stated that Angelo is the fifth child in a middle-income working class family of eight brothers and one sister. He has a 17-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son.
The younger Bongco is an architecture graduate of La Consolacion College and worked for other construction firms for almost 10 years and started his own contracting firm two years ago.
Eduardo said Angelo lives in a rented house, paying P5,000 per month.
While he has two used vehicles, both have existing loans. Eduardo added that Angelo has approximately less than P100,000 in the bank and has no criminal records.
Based on the lifestyle records of Angelo, it is not the lifestyle of an alleged nationwide, big time drug lord, Eduardo pointed out.
Eduardo claimed that the arrest of Angelo is like a death on their family. He said that they were in shocked that their brother was arrested as an alleged drug dealer.
He noted that Garces is a friend of his brother and, last June 18, he just wanted to treat Garces to a drink of beer because he has not seen him since their school days in La Consolacion College.
The father of Angelo, Eduardo Bongco Sr, also felt sad on the arrest of his son, claiming that it’s very painful that his son was accused as an alleged drug dealer.
Occeño, in the meantime, stated that it is a usual alibi of the suspect to claim that the operation against him was just a set up.
He said Angelo informed them the name of the courier, sender and consignee that were allegedly addressed in his office.
Occeño asserted that Angelo was arrested alone in the area.
Meanwhile, BCPO Director Ricardo De la Paz said the claim of Bongco is expected.
“It’s the suspect’s right to explain his side but, on the side of police, it was a legitimate police operation and we didn’t plant evidence, since it is a serious violation,” he stressed.
He said that Angelo is in the drugs watch list of the Philippine National Police, insisting that the police had a very strong case against Bongco who is considered as a big time dr

1 comment:

  1. In this prison prisoners sit without trial for more than 2 years. The judges can not even get a word the prisoners. Without a good lawyer you can sit there innocently for life.

    I was there for more than 1 month imprisoned innocent. Just because I was a foreigner and money, I came quickly, after a month, free. The states and the food can not tolerate a European and would become seriously ill after a short. I could cook for me, for a fee, for me.

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