Prosecutors deny unjustly dismissing cases vs drug pushers
The Iloilo Provincial Prosecutor's Office has refuted allegations that it has unjustly dismissed cases against suspected drug pushers.
Chief Provincial Prosecutor Bernabe Dusaban said in a telephone interview yesterday that the accusations from the office of Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas Sr. were “baseless.”
We hope to enlighten the governor that these accusations are not true and that we have been doing our jobs,” said Dusaban.
Tupas has ordered the withdrawal of the province's subsidy to provincial prosecutors accusing them of unjustly dismissing cases against suspected drug pushers.
In a letter to Dusaban dated January 9, 2009, provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada said the governor has ordered an indefinite stop to the release of monthly allowances of prosecutors and per diems for out-of-town travel.
¡°We are afraid that the campaign (against) illegal drugs will get nowhere because of this seeming predisposition of the Provincial Prosecutors Office to dismiss illegal drug cases,” said Mejorada in his letter.
In a telephone interview, Mejorada said the subsidy amounts to around P3,000 monthly for each prosecutor and travel allowances.
Mejorada said in the interview that the governor received complaints from police chiefs of the province during a meeting on January 6 on the dismissal of complaints against the suspected drug pushers after the suspects were arrested by policemen.
Among the cases highlighted during the conference were those filed against Henry Caspillo and Rolly Tiope in Balasan town in Iloilo.
¡°The case against Caspillo was one of the biggest apprehensions made by our police operatives and was being hailed as a 'big blow' against illegal drugs syndicates,” said Mejorada in his letter to Dusaban.
Mejorada said that Caspillo was arrested in June last year after a buy-bust operation and subsequent raid on a drug den that the suspect was allegedly operating.
Several sachets of “shabu”, along with firearms and cash amounting to about P40,000, were recovered, according to Mejorada.
¡°A minor was also used as a runner, which was supposed to be an aggravating circumstance,” he said.
But he said the policemen who worked on the case were surprised when prosecutors dismissed the complaint related to the non-bailable offenses for which Caspillo was charged and allowed him to post bail.
He said the same concern was also raised on the dismissal of the complaint against Tiope who was arrested twice for for alleged drug pushing or possession of illegal drugs.
Dusaban said prosecutors dismissed the buy-bust complaint case against Caspillo but filed the illegal possession of firearms case based on the evidence presented and on court rules. They have also filed the case against Tiope.
Mejorada also said in his letter that police operatives also found the names and cell phone numbers of two prosecutors in the wallet of Caspillo during his arrest.
¡°This is a matter of grave concern because the discovery about the names of these prosecutors and their cell phone numbers raises the possibility of protection being given him,” said Mejorada in his letter.
He did not identify the prosecutors in his letter and in the interview.
Dusaban said his office will file charges to any prosecutor found to be involved in any irregularities. But he said Mejorada should identify the names of fiscals whose phone numbers were allegedly found with Caspillo.