THE Department of Justice on Wednesday issued a “lookout bulletin” to the Bureau of Immigration, ordering it to monitor the five police generals earlier tagged by President Rodrigo Duterte as alleged protectors of the illegal drug trade.
In a memo to the bureau, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II required the BI to place police generals Marcelo Garbo Jr., Vicente Loot, Bernardo Diaz, Joel Pagdilao, Edgardo Tinio on its lookout bulletin.
Garbo has retired from the service while Loot is now the mayor of Daangbantayan town in Cebu. Diaz, Pagdilao and Tinio are still in the active service.
The order requires immigration officers to be on the lookout for the police generals should they pass through immigration counters in any of the country’s international air or sea ports.
Those who are still on active duty will be required to show a copy of their travel authority.
The Immigration chief was also directed to coordinate with the Department of Interior and Local Government and the National Police Commission.
Earlier, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno requested that the five police generals be put on a watch list order.
Sueno also said a list of people involved in narco-politics, including mayors and barangay officials, would be completed shortly, before President Rodrigo Duterte’s first State-of-the-Union Address on July 25.
DILG Undersecretary Catalino Cuy said the list would be validated before it reaches Duterte, who earlier said he had a list of 32 mayors involved in the illegal drug trade.
The Philippine National Police on Wednesday filed charges against four Hong Kong nationals who were arrested on Monday inside a “floating shabu laboratory” off Subic in Zambales.
During inquest proceedings, the PNP accused Win Fai Lo, Shu Fook Leung, Kam Wah Kwok, Kwok Tung Chan of violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 for manufacturing and possession of illegal drugs.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency also reported that a 33-year-old Nigerian football coach was arrested in a buy-bust sting inside a restaurant in Marikina City Tuesday night.
The suspect was identified as Ejiye Okoye alias Martin, who was arrested with shabu worth P1.05 million, PDEA said.
The arrest was confirmed by PDEA Central Luzon director Emerson Margate.
Authorities believe Okoye is a member of the West Africa Syndicate operating in the country and his area of operation was Metro Manila and Central Luzon.
The PNP said 362 people, including two Chinese nationals, have been arrested in two weeks of police operations.
The campaign, involving the National Capital Region Police Office in close coordination with the PDEA, also led in the seizure of prohibited substances, particularly methamphetamine hydrochloride, popularly known as shabu, and marijuana leaves.
Metro Manila police director Oscar Albayalde commended his men from the Southern Police District, Northern Police District, Eastern Police District, Manila and Quezon City for their successful operations, which he said, is in line with the NCRPO’s support for the directive of PNP Chief Ronald Dela Rosa to go against illegal drugs and criminality through “Oplan Tokhang.”
The crackdown from July 1 to 12 yielded 298.301 kilos, 571 sachets and six packs of shabu; and 81 grams, four rolls, and 33 sachets of marijuana worth more than P1.8 billion. The campaign also led to the seizure of 20 assorted firearms, one hand grenade and three bladed weapons.