Caloocan City Mayor Dale Gonzalo “Along” Malapitan has cited the members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for their successful anti-illegal drug operation in the city last Aug. 4, that resulted in the arrest of an erring police officer.
Malapitan, along with People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) Chief lawyer Benjamin Roque and Caloocan Anti-Drug Abuse Office Officer-in-Charge Sonny Amoyo, handed over plaques and medals to PDEA Regional Office-National Capital Region (RO-NCR) Regional Director III Christian Frivaldo, other officials, and agents.
The awards were given during the flag raising ceremony at the City Hall on Monday, Aug. 8.
The operatives arrested Cpl. Mark Jefferson Lopez, 30, assigned to the Caloocan City Police Station (CCPS) Bagong Silang Sub-station (Sub-station 13); and his cohort, John Lester Lopez, 25, of Caloocan City, in a buy-bust operation held at the corner of Zabarte and Camarin Roads, in Barangay 172, on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 4.
The suspects yielded around 500 grams of shabu worth P3,400,000 along with two firearms, 26 live bullets, and three mobile phones.
Malapitan thanked the PDEA for its perseverance in fighting illegal drugs in the city that led to the arrest of the suspects.
“Paulit-ulit nating sinasabi noong tayo’y nagmimiting de avance noong panahon ng kampanyahan, pag si Along ang naging mayor ninyo, titiyakin natin, uubusin natin ang mga pusher dito sa lungsod ng Caloocan. Hindi natin sasantuhin. Kahit na alagad ka pa ng batas pag nagkamali ka, nagkamali ka. Ikukulong ka, haharapin mo ang buong pwersa ng batas natin (We repeatedly said in our miting de avance during the campaign period, that if Along becomes your mayor, we will make sure that pushers will be eradicated here in the city of Caloocan. Even if you are an enforcer of the law, if you made a mistake, you made a mistake. You will be imprisoned, you will face the full force of the law),” the mayor said.
“Kaya’t sana’y patuloy na ibigay natin yung ating pakikiisa laban sa pagsugpo natin sa ilegal na droga, lalong lalo na dito sa pamumuno natin (I hope that everyone will continue to cooperate in our fight against illegal drugs, especially under my leadership),” Malapitan added.
He also urged local government employees and city residents to get their Covid-19 vaccines and booster shots as the threat of the disease remains.
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