By MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City — Three members of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) allegedly involved in illegal drug trade were subjects of an investigation by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) Region 6.
Senior Supt. Larry Decena, BCPO officer-in-charge, identified them as Supt. Jefferson Descallar, SPO4 Hobart Bautista and PO2 Dennis Finch.
Their names were indicated in a complaint-letter dated April 21, 2014, and addressed to Philippine National Police Director General Allan Purisima (not the Office of the President, as previously reported).
The letter from a “Concerned Media Reporter of Bacolod/Mamamayan Kontra Droga” said some members of the BCPO Special Operations Group (SOG) were protectors of illegal drugs.
Copies of the letter were furnished to Napolcom, Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) and the Office of the President.
Policemen involved in any illegal activity will face charges for grave misconduct, Inspector IV Napoleon Arostique, chief of Napolcom Region 6 investigation unit, warned.
Once proven guilty, he or she will be dismissed from the service, Aristoque announced before reporters yesterday.
Arostique and two other Napolcom officials, Atty. Jorelyne Gasataya and Inspector II Felix Leo Loriega, went to the Bacolod City Police Office yesterday to meet with the concerned policemen.
Arostique said they have been making rounds in the metro to validate the information contained in the letter.
On Tuesday, they visited the Negros Press Club office to identify the person behind the letter, to no avail.
RECEIPTS
Attached to the complaint letter were photocopies of Palawan Express Pera Padala receipts indicating that Finch was receiving money from an alleged drug lord.
BCPO’s Investigation and Detective Management Unit had the authenticity of the receipt photocopies validated by the money remittance center, Arostique said.
According to the receipts, one Bobby Maratas had been sending various amounts to Finch several times.
Decena, who had been conducting a separate investigation, said he tried to summon Maratas several times, but the latter did not respond.
Finch is currently on AWOL (absent without official leave) after failing to report to work for almost 10 days, Decena confirmed.
Descallar, deputy BCPO director for operations and SOG chief, had been relieved from his posts and is on “floating status” in PRO-6 in Iloilo City.
Bautista had been relieved, too, and reassigned to the Office of the BCPO Director, said Decena./PN
