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BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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Tuesday, May 16, 2017
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ILOILO City – Can the new director of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) succeed where his predecessor failed – catch the elusive suspected drug lord Richard “Buang” Prevendido?
The leadership change at the PRO-6 won’t adversely affect the campaign against illegal drugs in Western Visayas, according to Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, acting police director of the region.
The arrest of Prevendido and “all high-value (drug) targets” remains a priority, Binag stressed in a press conference following the turnover ceremony yesterday.
Binag formally assumed the post vacated by Chief Superintendent Jose Gentiles, now the chief of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Eastern Mindanao.
The drug war will be “vigorously sustained”, said Binag at Camp Martin Delgado, headquarters of the PRO-6.
Gentiles left Western Visayas failing to arrest Prevendido although under his watch, the other suspected drug lord identified by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Melvin Odicta Sr., was killed by still unidentified gunmen in Malay, Aklan in August last year.
“President Rodrigo Duterte instructed to us to run after and prioritize top drug personalities,” said Binag who, prior to his Western Visayas assignment, headed the PNP’s Firearms and Explosives Office in Camp Crame.
Gentiles gave his men until Dec. 31, 2016 to arrest Prevendido but efforts to locate the drug suspect were unsuccessful despite tips from informants and a P1-million bounty from the city and provincial governments of Iloilo.
Binag, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (Class of 1987), said he was counting on the support of local government units, non-government organizations, church leaders, the media, and other stakeholders to sustain the antidrug campaign and his other priorities – curbing crimes and police corruption.
“Without them, we won’t be able to perform our duties and responsibilities effectively and execute our operations and plans to achieve our objectives,” said Binag.
He also said the “internal cleansing” at PRO-6 will continue. However, there won’t be an immediate revamp of police officers, he clarified.
“No plan to revamp (the PRO-6). I have no(t brought any police) personnel of my own. My team is the current (PRO-6) team,” said Binag.
Prevendido was not running out of tricks to evade arrest such as sending policemen misleading text messages on his whereabouts, according to PDEA Region 6 assistant director Levi Ortiz in a recent interview.
“This is the latest information we received. May nagte-text sa mga pulis at sa ating office na nasa ganitong lugar siya pero wala siya doon. Misinformation of his whereabouts ang ginagawa,” Ortiz told Panay News.
He reiterated the suspicion that Prevendido, who has a pending warrant of arrest for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, was getting help from his family.
“May gina-zero in kita na mga areas na may mga contacts tayo. Hopefully makuha natin siya. He is moving fast,” said Ortiz.
Binag, meanwhile, stressed the importance of police accountability.
“Our responsibility is to faithfully execute the different operation plans set before us to achieve the objectives of our President and our Chief PNP,” said Binag.
In the war against illegal drugs, he said “more that the statistics…our goal should be to save the lives of the future, the youth, the next generation and to create a safer place to work, live and do business in this part of our country.”
The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) confirmed receiving a lot of tips on the suspect’s whereabouts.
“We are verifying these tips. Ang dami,” said Senior Superintendent Harold Tuzon, IPPO director.
In March, the PRO-6 received text messages claiming that Prevendido was planning to surrender peacefully.
The police took them with a grain of salt.
“Wala man nagpakilala ang sender. But if Prevendido indeed wanted to surrender, we welcome this,” said Superintendent Gilbert Gorero, spokesperson of the PRO-6./PN
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