Police arrested five barangay officials after they locked a frontliner, who was allegedly a suspect COVID-19 patient, with his wife and three children in their house at Barangay 538 in Sampaloc, Manila.
Authorities arrested Bobby Biason, 48, and Marvin Simbahan, 27, both barangay councilors; Ferdinand Gatdula, 56, barangay executive officer; and Epifanio Rempis, 49, and Jesus Dela Cruz, both barangay tanods (watchmen).
Manila Police District-Special Mayor’s Reaction Team (MPD-SMaRT) and the Sampaloc Police Station operatives caught the suspects on Friday (June 5) at about 3:30 p.m.
According to MPD-SMaRT chief Maj. Rosalino Ibay Jr., the victim, was a frontliner who was serving food to dialysis patients and allegedly tested positive for the new coronavirus in Quezon City.
After learning that the victim is a COVID-19 suspect on Wednesday, the barangay officials used wood and metal wire to lock him and his wife and three minor children aged 3, 10, 12, and 16 inside their house.
The victims’ relative then reported the incident to the police, Ibay said.
Before the barangay officials sealed off the victim’s house, he underwent a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and tested negative for the respiratory disease. He then asked the officials if he could leave his house to get his results, but the officials did not grant his request.
The arrested officials said the victim was “unruly,” but Ibay said the suspects “overreacted” for locking the family inside their home.
The barangay officials would face charges for violating City Ordinance No. 8624 or the Anti-COVID-19 Discrimination Ordinance of 2020, Republic Act No. 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, and Article 124 of the Revised Penal Code on arbitrary detention.
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More than P6.8-M worth of shabu confiscated in Cavite
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Calabarzon and the Philippine National Police arrested two men who were arrested in a buy-bust operation in the parking lot of a mall on Saturday morning.
Police seized P6.8 million worth of suspected shabu, weighing one kilogram from the suspects.
Melvin Estoque, Director of PDEA 4-A, said the two suspects were from the National Capital Region.
The two men allegedly put shabu in a teabag.
“Nagbebenta sila ng mga nasa tea bag. Kung maaalala n’yo noong mga nakaraang buwan, ‘yung mga last year, ito rin ‘yung modus nila…’Yung shabu, nakalagay siya sa tea bag. ‘Yung packaging niya is teabag. Isa ‘yun sa modus of concealment nila. Para kung ordinaryong tao lang ang makakita, so parang hindi siya mapapansin,” said Estoque.