PNP suggests Peter Lim should ‘peacefully’ respond to warrants

The Philippine National Police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on Tuesday served a subpoena on alleged drug lord Peter Lim at his Cebu City residence.

The summons required Lim to appear before the Department of Justice (DOJ) on August 14 and 17 for a preliminary investigation.

Lim's security guards received the summons, GMA 7 news program "24 Oras" reported.

The PNP's Region 7 office have kept tabs on Lim, and they believed that he was still in Cebu City,  protected by eight body guards.

PNP 7 Director CSupt. Jose Mario Espino advised Lim to comply, without resistance, should any warrants be issued later. "Our call is for them, if there is a search warrant against them, it's better that they just peacefully surrender and subject their places for search," Espino said.

"In doing so, we will avoid what happened doon sa Ozamiz," he added.

An early morning police raid in Ozamiz City last Sunday, during which the PNP was supposed to serve several search warrants, degenerated into a bloody gun battle in which  Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and 14 others were killed.

Espino added that Lim had nothing to fear from the PNP. Rather, he should be more afraid of his competitors.

"Pag ganun ka namang personality, you do not know who is your enemy now," the PNP regional director explained. "So sabi natin probably his competitors o kaya naman may galit din sa kanya sa business, so hindi mo masasabi iyon."

The DOJ had issued a subpoena on Lim after the CIDG submitted its report after a year-long investigation.

The DOJ also issued an immigration-lookout bulletin against Lim and five other high-profile suspects allegedly involved in the illegal-drugs trade.

Last July, Lim denied being a drug lord during a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte, who threatened to kill Lim if the allegations against the him were proven true. — Margaret Claire Layug/DVM, GMA News