A police official on Thursday, January 26, denied the allegation that a policeman assigned to the Bacolod Police Station 2 is a drug protector.
A note found along with two chopped off hands soaked in beef broth in Purok Kagaykay, Brgy. 2, Bacolod City, on Wednesday, January 25, linked 22 persons to illegal drugs and alleged that a certain RR from Police Station 2 is a drug protector.
Capt. Jonito Pastrana, Police Station 2 chief, said that the RR referred to in the note is an anti-illegal drugs operative who was previously assigned at Police Station 2. He is no longer assigned to the station as he went for further schooling, in fact he no longer wants to be assigned to anti-illegal drugs operations, Pastrana said.
“I can vouch for the integrity of this policeman because he just does his job,“ he added.
Col. Thomas Joseph Martir, Bacolod police director, said the validation they conducted does not indicate that there is a Station 2 policeman who is a drug protector.
CCTV footage showed that a white van was seen at around 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. Wednesday in the area where the severed hands were found, which they are further investigating, Martir also said.
They have no leads yet on who the severed hands belong to, Pastrana said. No one has claimed the hands, and thy have not received any reports of a person whose hands were severed or of a body discovered with no hands, he said.
The 22 persons linked to illegal drugs on the list are from puroks Kagaykay and Sigay in Barangay 2. Twelve of them said they feared for their lives during a meeting with the Barangay 2 officials and the police Thursday afternoon, Pastrana said.
They said they were previously involved in illegal drugs but have since reformed.
Pastrana said police visibility patrols will be conducted in Barangay 2 but they cannot provide 24/7 security for those on the list as they lack manpower.*