NBI asks Ombudsman to sue Pasig execs over shabu bazaar

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Thursday recommended to the Ombudsman that Pasig City Mayor Vicente Eusebio and 15 other local officials be charged with graft and violation of the anti-drug law over the shabu "tiangge" (flea market) discovered and later demolished in that city last February. The NBI recommended that the Pasig officials be prosecuted for violating section 3 of Republic Act 3019 or the anti-graft and corrupt practices act, RA 9165 or the new comprehensive drugs act, and section 1 of Presidential Decree 1829, which penalizes obstruction of apprehension and prosecution of criminal offense. NBI records showed that last February 10, combined elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) anti-illegal drugs special operations task force (AIDSOTF), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and the Traffic Management Group (TMG) raided the shabu tiangge inside the Mapayapa compound on the strength of a search warrant issued by a Quezon City regional trial court. Shabu and other illegal drugs were reportedly being openly traded and consumed in several shanties that served as stalls. Authorities rounded up more than 300 people, including scores of minors, in the raid. Several persons were sued after they were caught in possession of prohibited drugs and paraphernalia and found positive for use of illegal drugs. The police also filed charges against Sheryl Molero Boratong and Amin Boratong, alleged maintainer and operator of the makeshift drug bazaar. NBI legal officer Benigno Abila, in a letter to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, said Pasig city officials violated RA 3019 when the Council passed a resolution last February 13 ordering the demolition of the shabu tiangge. Last February 15, Eusebio led Pasig police, local traffic aides, and city engineering employees in demolishing the shanties, which were declared a public nuisance. "The shabu makeshifts/shanties searched by the PNP are object evidence under the Rules of Court. These evidence should be preserved and not destroyed, unless there is an order from the Court, otherwise, persons responsible are liable for violation of Section 1, paragraph B, PD 1829," said Abila. "Moreover, the houses, shanties and cubicles inside the compound used as dens or dive are clearly part of the evidence," he added. The NBI official said it was "noteworthy" that the order to demolish the shanties was given after the PNP had filed charges against Amin Boratong and his associates. He also noted that Pasig Rep. Robert Jaworski Jr sued Eusebio after the incident. Abila asked the Ombudsman to incorporate the graft charges filed by Jaworski against Eusebio. The Pasig City councilors recommended to face similar charges are Regino Balderama, Roberto Benito, Fortunato Co Jr, Macario Cruz, Virgilio del Rosario, Aquilino Dela Cruz, Robert Eusebio, Renato Lipana, Reynaldo Raymundo, Gregorio Rupisan Sr., Gregorio Rupisan Jr., Alejandro Santiago, and Jose Tatco Jr. -GMANews.TV