At 65, architect and businessman Jose Antonio Gumban is supposedly just enjoying his retirement in Cebu.
But the mere thought of his son locked up in jail is something that is unbearable for a father who spent more than half of his life working for his family. So hours after learning that his son John Andres was arrested in a buy-bust, Gumban came to the rescue by trying to bribe the arresting officers of the anti-drugs unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP) based in Cebu in exchange for dropping of the case.
The head of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group, Lt. Col. Warren Dablo, ordered his arrest. Seized from him was the P100,000 he wanted to give us bribe to the cops.
Lt. Col. Cherry Lou Donato, spokesperson of the PNP-DEG, said the arrest of Gumban sends a strong message that the police are serious in the campaign against illegal drugs. She also disclosed that Gumban's son is a known notorious drug peddler in Mandaue City and nearby areas. The son was arrested in a buy-bust in Sto. Niño Village in Mandaue City on March 14, Sunday.
Donato added that they could not just let the bribery incident pass since it will make a bad precedent that the police are tolerating such kind of bad behavior.
"This kind of behavior must not be tolerated, regardless of age, because this is illegal. Instead, they should focus on making sure that every member of their family is free or protected from illegal drugs," Donato told the Manila Bulletin.
P-DEG director Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee, for his part, lauded his men in Cebu for showing integrity in the presence of temptation.
He said the elder Gumban is now under police custody and is facing a criminal case in relation to what he did.