By Franck Dick A. Rosete

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Police arrested an intelligence officer in Misamis Oriental town for allegedly carrying illegal drugs at Agusan Village on April 2, around 11 o’clock in the evening.

The Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO) identified the suspect as Corporal Jann Al Rey Balondo, an intelligence officer from Kinoguitan Municipal Police Station.

In a phone interview on Sunday, Lt. Theofratus Pia, the spokesperson of the Misamis Oriental Police Provincial Office, confirmed to Manila Bulletin the arrest of the intelligence officer.

The operating officers from City Intelligence Unit (CIU) here and Puerto Police Station 6 conducted operations and detective patrolling under Oplan Bakal Sita after they received information of an individual carrying a firearm.

Lt. Col. Jophet Paglinawan, CIU chief, said in an interview over a radio station here, the suspect was not on duty and only visited the city.

Paglinawan said he also received information that Balondo has also been involved in illegal drug trade in some parts of the city.

“This person, we received a lot of information. He is one of the people who spearheaded the illegal drug trade in the villages of Agusan, Balubal and Puerto,” Paglinawan said.

The authorities have recovered one sachet containing alleged shabu and one sachet in the suspect’s wallet containing traces of the illegal drugs.

They also recovered one unit of Glock PNP (Philippine National Police) 9mm pistol, one Glock 9mm magazine, nine rounds of ammunition and drug paraphernalia.

Pia stressed that they are not tolerating the said activity as the PNP has always been consistent in ridding the PNP of scalawags.

In a separate interview Sunday, Lt. Col. Michelle Olaivar, the spokesperson of the Police Regional Office of Northern Mindanao (PRO-10), said the PNP has an Integrity Monitoring Enforcement Group (IMEG), which takes care of monitoring every activity of police officers who have been reported as involved in the illegal activities.

“However, despite this kind of monitoring , there are still brave police officers who are not thinking and wasting the opportunity to serve,” Olaivar said.

Olaivar added that the arrested police officer will undergo proper process and the administration will coordinate with the suspect’s direct supervisor for further investigation.

“Meantime, his direct supervisor will be asked to explain if such conduct of said personnel were not reported or why was the personnel caught with illegal drugs and why was the personnel, who was not on duty, carrying a firearm and all other queries,” she added.

Balondo is currently detained at the custodial facility of Puerto Police Station 6.