By Jennifer P. Rendon
Running after police misfits did not end with the arrest of Staff Sergeant Igmedio Cristobal Jr., the cop who was collared in an anti-narcotics operation.
Brigadier General Flynn Dongbo, Western Visayas police chief, said Monday that they are still monitoring some personnel who have alleged links to illegal drugs.
“But until such time that we can produce sufficient evidence to pin them down, then dun tayo gagawa ng operations,” he said.
Dongbo, a former chief of the PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG), said that it’s difficult to conduct on bare information alone.
IMEG is the primary unit of the PNP tasked on information gathering and conduct of offensive operations against erring police personnel.
“We have to support our conduct of operation with solid evidence,” he said.
Dongbo declined to give numbers on personnel under watch, but claimed that all illegal activities where there are perceived police involvement are being monitored.
It can be noted that Cristobal was collared recently as part of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6)’s internal cleansing efforts.
Aside from selling shabu, he also tested positive for illegal drug use.
A member of the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit (RPHAU), Cristobal was arrested morning of May 22, 2022 at Aries St., VML Subdivision in Barangay North Fundidor, Molo, Iloilo City.
The 40-year-old policeman from Zone 11, Barangay Calaparan, Arevalo Iloilo City, was arrested after he allegedly sold two sachets of suspected shabu for P5,000.
Members of the RPDEU-6 and the Iloilo City Police Station 4 also recovered 17 sachets of suspected shabu worth P374,000, the P5,000 marked money, wallet containing different identification cards, a black Yamaha Mio Sporty motorcycle with license plate FC 13001, a mobile phone, and several non-drug items.
Cristobal was assigned to RPHAU in 2017 from the Iloilo City Police Station following an administrative case for irregularity in the performance of duty.
He allegedly crafted a blotter report of a non-existent police booking and sent it to higher headquarters.
Cristobal’s name was placed on the watchlist after his police buddy, then Police Officer 2 (PO2) Stephen Magno, was arrested in a buy-bust operation in a resort in Barangay Calaparan, Arevalo district in April 2018.
