ILOILO City – A village councilman and three others were arrested by the Criminal Investigation and Detective Group (CIDG) Region 6 in Barangay Agutayan, Santa Barbara, Iloilo for transporting 500 boxes of liquor.
There is an ongoing liquor ban in Iloilo province due to the enhanced community quarantine.
The CIDG carried out the arrests yesterday at around 11:30 a.m. after receiving information that two trucks loaded with boxes of liquor were heading to Santa Barbara from Iloilo City.
Now in CIDG-6’s custody were Joel Saludares Jr., councilman of Barangay Agutayan; Romnick Suaman and Jan Ron Angelo, drivers of the two trucks; and truck helper Joefil Angelo of Barangay Nabitasan, La Paz, Iloilo City.
“Nakalusot ang dalawang trucks sa mga quarantine control points kasi sinabi ng drivers sa pulis na food ang karga nila. Hindi naman nai-check ng pulis,” according to Lieutenant Colonel Jun Balmaceda of CIDG-6.
The two trucks were apprehended while parked near Saludares’ house.
“Hindi pa natin alam kong magkano ang halaga ng lahat na inumin,” said Balmaceda yesterday.
The four suspects face a charge of violation of Executive Order 080 of Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. imposing an enhanced community quarantine (including a liquor ban) and violation of Article 151 of the Revised Penal Code (disobedience, usurpation of authority by misdeclaring cargo).
Saludares and the other suspects denied they were selling liquor. The liquor were for safekeeping, they stressed.
Meanwhile, from what the Santa Barbara police station so far gathered, the trucks were from Muelle Loney in Iloilo City.
The windshield of one truck had quarantine passes from the Department of Trade and Industry and the inter-agency task force on the coronavirus disease 2019.
The other truck had a vehicle pass for medical health workers from the city government of Iloilo and a home quarantine pass.
There is an ongoing liquor ban in Iloilo City, too. The sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages are prohibited./PN
