Dagupan Chief of Police relieved from his post in relation to the shabu raid in La Union

Ma. Lourdes “Miami” Ebilane
July 22, 2008
Story 1: Dagupan Chief of Police relieved from his post in relation to the shabu raid in La Union

A police chief in one of the provinces in La Union was administratively relieved because of his alleged involvement in the shabu laboratory raided by the authorities last July 9.

As of July 10, Dagupan Chief of Police Sr. Supt. Dionisio Borromeo was already relieved and was transfer to their Police Regional Office (Region 1) in San Fernando City, La Union. But on July 21, he was transferred in Camp Crame upon the order of PNP Chief Avelino Razon. He is now assigned in Police Holding and Accounting Unit.

PNP Spokesman Nicanor Bartolome said this is to give way to the on going investigation that Borromeo is involved in the shabu laboratory.

Bartolome said one of the suspects, the caretaker of the shabu laboratory is the one who implicates the name of Borromeo. “During the tactical interrogation, (Dante) Palaganas told the police that he is an asset of Sr. Supt. Borromeo. This is when the investigation on Borromeo started also.”

The suspect who implicates the Dagupan Police Chief was Dante Tomas Palaganas, according to Chief Inspector Gil Hempes, chief of investigation division of La Union Provincial Police Office. The other suspect also a caretaker was Andy Tangalin.

Bartolome also said that the Director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Chief Supt. Raul Castaneda is already in La Union to supervise the investigation. “The CIDG will concentrate on the investigation on the allegation that the Chief of Dagupan Police is involved on it,” Bartolome said.

Meanwhile, Hempes said that they already created a Task Force that would investigate and track down the other suspects.

He said that they are still looking for five Chinese men who are allegedly the chemists of the shabu.

The Task Force that was created was Task Force Binmotobot derived from the name of the barangay where the shabu laboratory was found last July 9 in the town of Naguillan, La Union. The task force is created by regional police from operations, intelligence, La Union Provincial Police and Naguillan Police.

The police recovered 6 truck loads of different equipments and ingredients used in making shabu. Among they recovered are 30 pieces of cauldron, 79 containers of iodine crystal (about 4 gallons on each container); 15 aluminum barrel of red phosphorous, 80 sacks of soda potassium hydrate and 65 boxes (five liters each) of ethanol.

The area is about 11 to 12 hectares rented by a certain George Cordero. The police still do not know the whereabouts of Corder and thinking that this name is only an alias.

The Officer-in-Charge of the Dagupan police Station is Supt. Sonny Versoza.