POLICE ROUNDUP

Policemen bust fake gold bars syndicate
OLONGAPO CITY – Policemen here arrested on Sept. 29 members of a “Budol-budol” gang when they were allegedly caught in the act of selling fake gold bars in an entrapment operation in a fastfood eatery here.

Senior Supt. Abe Villacorta, officer in charge of the Olongapo City Police Office, said before the operation, he had received reports that a syndicate was roaming the city and looking for victims.

Villacorta immediately planned an entrapment operation and directed his men, led by Chief Insp. Arthur Salida, to monitor the movement of the group.

An entrapment was then set up in the Jollibee restaurant in Ulon ng Apo circle where the supposed buyers, all police agents, and the members of the group agreed to meet for the initial sale of two gold bars.

As soon as two of the men, Willy and his brother Walter Visda, both residents of Sitio Lubao, Iram resettlement, Barangay New Cabalan, Olongapo agreed with the police poseurs on the price of the two fake gold bars, the brothers immediately brought out the two pieces of fake gold bars. At this juncture, the policemen immediately collared the Visda brothers.

A follow-up operation was conducted by Villacorta and his men at Mangabacan, Subic town, Zambales, resulting in the apprehension of three other suspects, reportedly partners of the Visda brothers. -- Mar Supnad


Man held for rape case filed by live-in partner
CAMP DANGWA, Trinidad, Benguet – A jobless man was arrested by La Trinidad police por allegedly sexually abusing his common-law wife the past several months at their residence in Windy Hills, Buyagan, La Trinidad. Chief Supt. Eugene G. Martin, director of the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera, identified the suspect as Fabian Polanio alias “Relio,” jobless, of Windy Hills, Buyagan, La Trinidad, and native of Kalinga. The suspect was arrested inside the La Trinidad police station when he accompanied his common-law wife to withdraw the rape charges she had filed against him.

The 13 warrants were issued against the suspect by Judge Danilo Camacho of the Regional trial Court’s Branch 62 in La Trinidad with no bail recommended. It was learned that the suspect and his partner had been living together for several years now but he was allegedly trying to break up with her for no apparent reason. The complainant filed the suspect to maintain the relationship. The couple reportedly came to terms and agreed that they both go to the police station for the complainant to withdraw the charges. -- Dexter See


Trader, 70, held up, shot
LABRADOR, Pangasinan – A 70-year-old businessman was wounded after he was shot by one of three men who held him up here before dawn on Sept. 29.

Police said Herminigildo Palamos was about to open his gasoline station when the three motorcycle-riding men accosted him and took his cellular phone and P1,500 cash. Palamos reportedly tried to resist and was shot in the right arm. – Jennelyn Mondejar


Abra gun ban violator nabbed
PENARUBIA, Abra – A gun ban violator was nabbed here along the Bucay-Penarubia Road on Oct. 2 around 5:20 a.m. at Barangay Siblong. Bucay police were manning a checkpoint when they confiscated from suspect Romualdo Dala-on Maguensay, 24, single of Barangay Alangtin, Tubo town a Cal.38 HM revolver loaded with five bullets, Maguensay was brought to the Bucay police station for interrogation.


Grade III pupil pushed into fishpond, drowns
BINMALEY, Pangasinan – A Grade III pupil drowned Tuessay when he was pushed into a fishpond allegedly by his neighbor, who was believed to be mentally disturbed, here in Barangay Biec.

The Pangasinan Provincial Police Office received a report that the victim, Ryan Mark Angeles y Sabangan, 11, Grade III pupil, was pushed into the fishpond by Aristotle Manaois y Glenaza, 33, married.

The victim was reportedly asking for help but nobody went to his rescue. – Jennelyn Mondejar


Judge clears 4 Chinese of ‘shabu’ charges
BALER, Aurora – Four Chinese nationals who were charged in August last year with manufacture and possession of 5.44 kilograms of “shabu” worth P120 million were acquitted Sept. 26 by the Regional Trial Court here for failure of the prosecution to establish the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt.

Ordered freed from detention by RTC Judge Armando Yanga of Branch 66 were Sy Tho, Wang Thai Ti, Chin Na Chua, and Chen Chien.

Records of the case show that the Four Chinese were arrested in a raid conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation on August 30, 2006 in Barangay Butas-na-Bato, Dingalan, Aurora on a house suspected of being used in the manufactures of the banned methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu.

The Chinese were charged with violation of Section 8 (Manufacture of dangerous drugs) and Section 11 (possession of dangerous drugs) of Republic 9165, known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The offense of possession of 50 grams or more of shabu carries with it the maximum penalty o death and a fine of P10 million.

However, the court rejected as evidence the 5.44 kilos of shabu which were the object of an “illegal search.”

Yanga said “the existence of the dangerous drug is a condition sine qua non for conviction since the dangerous drug is the very corpus delicti of the crime. With the exclusion of the seized articles, the accused most necessarily be acquitted in both cases.”

In his 33-page decision, Yanga lamented the failure of the prosecution witnesses, NBI agents, to conduct properly the search in the supposed laboratory where the accused supposedly manufactured shabu.

Yanga said, “The law is very clear that the search must be done in the presence of the lawful occupant and it is only the absence of the former that two witnesses of sufficient age and description residing in the same locality may be called upon to witness the search.” – Luis Jose


Cordillera cops complete counter-insurgency training
CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet – Seventy-three men and women formally completed their two-month Philippine National Police Special Counter-insurgency Operation Unit Training course here last week.

This is to bolster the PNP Cordillera region’s operations in remote villages, said Chief Supt. Eugene G. Martin, regional police director. Martin said out of 73 graduates of the 61-day course, 10 were female law enforcers chosen from the different police units in the region. The training, which included anti-insurgency tactics, air-to-ground and combat training, was in preparation for possible terrorist attacks and other crime prevention operations.