Lawmaker seeks House probe on shabu colony demolition

Pasig City Rep. Robert “Dodot" Jaworski Jr said he will file a resolution before the House of Representatives to investigate the alleged hasty demolition of shanty dwellings in the Mapayapa compound at Sto. Tomas village. “I don’t know the reason kung bakit siya (Eusebio) nagmamadali … He was too late a hero. There is due process [which should have been followed]," Jaworski told GMA 7’s DZBB. Jaworski noted that preserving evidence at a crime scene is basic procedure, which Pasig Mayor Vicente Eusebio failed to follow in dealing with the shabu trade. Eusebio said he gave orders to dismantle the shanties even without a court order because the document was purportedly unnecessary. Citing provisions in the Revised Penal Code, Eusebio said structures can be removed if these are deemed to have ill-effects on residents. The mayor also said the investigators should not worry about evidence being destroyed in the raid because there was enough video footage of the shabu “one-stop-shops." However, a ranking police official on Thursday said mere pictures and video footage of the shabu stalls may be insufficient to pursue a case against the suspects arrested during last weekend’s drug bust. Police Director Marcelo Ele, chief of the Philippine National Police-Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF), said cases against suspected drug traffickers and financers sometimes fail because evidence is tampered or altered. In an interview over GMA7’s DZBB, Ele admitted they may have difficulty identifying the drug dens they marked when they raided the Mapayapa compound Saturday morning. He said identification of evidence is a basic element in case prosecution. He said he believed that AIDSOTF personnel will be able to pass the hurdle of identifying the shanties as he pointed out that they have a very strong case against the suspects. Ele said they found out that the shanties were divided into three cubicles where drug users can hold pot sessions for only P10-P50. Police personnel seized drug paraphernalia inside the shanties, which they noticed where made of new materials. Ele said the Pasig government failed to notify them about the demolition. However, upon learning of the plan, he tried to contact Eusebio but he failed. Demolition teams bulldozed some 53 shanties in the so-called shabu haven to prevent drug pushers from coming back to the area, Eusebio said. Ele said he understood Eusebio’s sentiments since the latter became “emotional" with the discovery of the shabu mart in his turf. The mayor, however, should be advised by a legal counsel before he proceeded with the demolition, Ele noted. AIDSOTF is now conducting an investigation regarding the protectors and operators of the shabu shops. Ele said some city hall employees were among those arrested during the raid.-GMANEWS.TV