A barangay councilor in Hermosa, Bataan was arrested for illegal drugs possession on Wednesday night, police said.
The suspect was identified as Michael San Pablo, legal age, a resident of Barangay Culis, where he also serves as a village councilor. He was caught in a police operation conducted by the Hermosa police operatives.
Confiscated from his possession was one plastic sachet containing suspected shabu or crystal meth, and a cellular phone.
According to police records, this was the third time that San Pablo was arrested involving illegal drugs. He was previously apprehended in the past years but was able to post bail and resume his duties as a village official.
San Pablo is reportedly running this coming Barangay and SK Elections as village chief. He is now in custody of Hermosa police and will face charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
“May nagsabi na sa kanya na mag-ingat siya kasi i-ooperate daw siya kasi malakas daw siya,” a close friend and ally of the suspect told this reporter.
Meanwhile, his colleagues also told the media that they are allegedly receiving reports from various sources about the suspect’s illegal drug use which, they said, being manifested in his occasional mood swings and alleged change in behavior.
“Marami pong nawawalang mga gamit sa barangay namin lalo na yung apat na megaphones. Basta siya ang gumamit o humiram, hindi na naibabalik sa barangay,” one of his colleagues in the council lamented.
Hermosa police chief, Major Ernesto Esguerra, said that the arrest of San Pablo is part of their intensified campaign against illegal drugs in the province. He also urged the public to report any suspicious activities or personalities in their communities. (MHIKE CIGARAL)