By Jennifer P. Rendon
COVID-19 had claimed the life of Western Visayas’ alleged top drug personality Ernesto “Erning” Bolivar Jr., if the death certificate presented by his family to the police is to be believed.
Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis, Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) spokesperson, said Bolivar’s family based in Barangay Guinacas, Pototan, Iloilo provided the Pototan Police Station a soft or electronic copy of his death certificate.
The document indicated that the 45-year-old Bolivar died of acute respiratory failure on Oct. 5, 2021 at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City.
The antecedent cause of his death was “Covid pneumonia critical.”
The Forest Law Memorial Park in Rodriguez, Rizal cremated his remains. It was not clear, though, when Bolivar was hospitalized.
But the family is preparing to receive his cremated remains.
Despite that, Solis said they are not about to believe Bolivar’s death by just an electronic copy of the death certificate and his photos after he allegedly died.
“We would still verify the authenticity of the documents and get additional evidence to support the claims,” he said.
Bolivar’s alleged death went public after his son confirmed it in a Facebook post last week.
Facebook user Rusty first posted “Papa ko,” with a crying and heart emojis. Several comments later offered condolences to him.
Reports indicated that Bolivar was allegedly confined for pneumonia and later died.
He was staying with his live-in partner in Metro Manila although he had a wife and children in Pototan, Iloilo.
Up until his death, Bolivar remained elusive to authorities despite rewards and massive manhunt against him.
In September 2017, the PRO-6 announced that Bolivar will be their next target following the death of suspected drug personality Richard Prevendido.
Bolivar, who used to reside in Barangay Guinacas, Pototan, Iloilo, had been considered a sub-group leader of the Prevendido Drug Group.
He used to operate in Iloilo province while Prevendido and his other core members took Iloilo City as their territory.
While working for Prevendido, he also used to get drug supply from the Odicta Drug Group.
The Odicta Drug Group was once a formidable force in the illegal drug trade until the death of its leader, Melvin Odicta, Sr., and his wife Meriam on Aug. 29, 2016.
Bolivar was also allegedly into gun-for-hire activities. There were reports that he used to be Odicta’s hatchet man.
But it appeared that almost all of his involvement in gun-for-hire activities did not even reach the courts.
He was allegedly involved in the killing of the husband of his live-in partner. However, the case was also settled.
Most of his cases were settled while he managed to post bail in other cases.
He was respondent to Criminal Case No. 17-8454 for violation of Section 5, Article II, of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002), a non-bailable offense.
Members of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) intelligence branch and Pototan PNP considered his abode a drug den.
As Oplan Tokhang (the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign) commenced in 2016, Bolivar and Ricardo Trabuco turned themselves over to the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) on July 12, 2016, through the efforts of Intel operatives from both IPPO and ICPO.
But even after their surrender, the two allegedly continued with the illegal drug trade operation.
