LAST week, crime stories in Negros Occidental hit like a tsunami, sending shockwaves not only through communities but also across military and police institutions.
The infamous Toboso incident, which left 19 individuals dead — including two Filipino-American human rights advocates, Lyle Prijoles and Kai Soremc—chas now drawn international attention.
The involvement of Negros-based community journalist RJ Nichole Ledesma and University of the Philippines Diliman student Allysa Alano has further complicated the issue beyond expectations.
At present, the Philippine Army finds itself on the defensive, struggling to counter accusations that the incident was not a legitimate encounter but a massacre.
Social media, particularly Facebook, is abuzz with a “word war” between the Army and cause-oriented groups, along with their respective supporters and trolls.
For now, I will set this story aside as an in-depth investigation by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is ongoing.
LOCAL MAFIA
Let us turn to another serious matter — police operations involving what appears to be a local mafia.
On April 21, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) conducted twin raids that uncovered a clandestine, multi-million-peso cigarette manufacturing operation in the cities of Bago and Bacolod.
Authorities pegged the total value of recovered items at a whopping P800 million, including machinery, equipment, and raw materials used in producing fake cigarettes.
In the Calumanggan raid in Bago City, several workers were apprehended, including nine Chinese nationals:
* Xu Ke
* Li Hong
* This Jun
* A Yac
* Tan Jing
* Wu Shaobin
* Eron Chen
* Fugong Jiang
* Wu Jian Qun
This raises several pressing questions:
Why are Chinese nationals involved?
Who hired them?
And who is protecting them?
REMULLA ‘SINGS’
On April 23, another early morning raid took place at a private property in Barangay Concepcion, Talisay City.
According to police reports, the site was used for underground electronic cockfighting, or e-sabong, which had reportedly been operating for quite some time — much to the shock of Talisay Mayor Weng Lizares.
On April 24, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla and Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. arrived in Bacolod and Bago and held a press conference.
Clearly, both the e-sabong and cigarette manufacturing operations are “big deals.”
Three days later, on April 27, Remulla publicly allged Police Major Edgar Tonico Jr., head of the CIDG-Bacolod Field Office, as “protector” of the e-sabong operations in Talisay.
Remulla also linked the Talisay e-sabong operation to the cigarette mafia in Bacolod and Bago, saying they likely share the same operators.
Tonico, a member of Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Class of 2012, is now under restricted custody at the Police Regional Office – Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR).
He has yet to issue a public statement.
RESONANT NARRATIVE
Following Remulla’s exposé, discussions and debates have erupted across Bacolod and Negros Occidental about Tonico and the possible “lords” behind these illegal operations.
Remulla himself described Tonico as merely a protector — suggesting the existence of a “big cheese” or multiple key figures orchestrating the underground e-sabong and cigarette operations.
This forms the core of the narrative: Who is — or who are — the real masterminds?
Are these “big cheese” politicians or influential Chinese businessmen?
Reports indicate that Tonico previously served with the CIDG-Aklan Field Office before his recent assignment in Bacolod.
If Remulla’s exposé is accurate, mounting pressure could eventually force Tonico to “spill the beans.”
NOT FOR PUBLICITY’S SAKE
The public in Bacolod and Negros Occidental has given Remulla’s exposé high marks — nearly perfect on a scale of 1 to 10.
What he revealed was no ordinary disclosure.
However, there is also a strong hope that this is not merely for publicity.
Citizens and netizens alike are eager to know who the “cheese” truly is behind the mafia operations.
Will Remulla go further and reveal them?
If he does, it could significantly boost his political prospects — perhaps even positioning him for a Senate run in 2028.
After all, if he has already named a protector, it is not far-fetched to expect that the still-active police major could eventually name the “big shots” he has been protecting.
Kung baga, magkaalam na.
Since Remulla has started this, he must see it through; otherwise, it will feel incomplete — and the public does not take kindly to loose ends.
He would do well to learn from the much-criticized flood control projects controversy, where many were left dissatisfied with the outcome of the investigation.
This time, in the case of the Negros mafia, the public hopes Remulla will finish what he started — not just a “meaningless sprint” leading nowhere.
Kay Remulla ang pag-asa? Hope so.
Just a tickler: The term “protector” almost always goes hand in hand with the word “operator.”
And that, perhaps, makes this exposé a bit “cheesy.”
Right!?/PN
