CEBU CITY—Drug personalities have reportedly offered bounty for every policeman killed in Cebu.
“We are validating these reports that drug personalities are offering as high as P20,000 for every policeman killed,” said Senior Supt. Manuel Abrugena, chief of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO).
Abrugena said if these reports are true, the move to offer cash reward for the killing of police personnel could be a form of retaliation following the intensified crackdown on illegal drug personalities in the city.
“They (drug groups) see that the operations against illegal drugs have further intensified and they are greatly affected,” said Abrugena.
While the CPPO is still validating the information, Aburgena has cautioned police personnel to take extra care.
“We are advising our personnel to take necessary precautions,” the CPPO chief said.
Meanwhile, Abrugena denied blaming some government officials for the proliferation of illegal drugs in Talisay City, southern Cebu.
Abrugena said he was taken out of context when a local newspaper here reported that illegal drug activities continue to thrive in Talisay because some elected officials are drug protectors.
“I wish to clarify that I never mentioned an specific area where there are elected officials who are drug protectors. When I said we are validating reports that there are government officials who are drug protectors, it was said in general context,” said Abrugena.
Talisay City Vice Mayor Allan Bucao and Cebu First Disrict Rep. Gerard Anthony Gullas Jr. cried foul over Abrugena’s supposed pronouncement.
Bucao appealed to the CPPO official to identify these officials in Talisay instead of making sweeping statement.
Gullas, whose grandfather Eduardo Gullas is the mayor in Talisay, which is part of the Cebu First District, stressed that the city government has been supportive “of the President’s all-out war on drugs.”
“My only plea is to take caution in pinning government officials in general, pending validation of their alleged involvement in all these illegal activities. This way, we cannot put all government officials in a cloud of doubt. We welcome this investigation so that after validation, we will have the names of the people involved,” said Gullas.
Abrugena, for his part, said it has been the policy of the PNP to observe “professionalism in every dealing that we take.”
“If I offended some people, I am asking for understanding if I got misquoted,” said Abrugena. (Calvin D. Cordova)
