Councilor Jose Molintas has proposed an ordinance raising the amount of reward for anyone who gives essential information leading to the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of any drug pusher or any individual who has committed a heinous crime in the city including those that are in the list of Ten Most Wanted Criminals in the City of Baguio.
The proposed ordinance shall amend Section 2 of Ordinance 15-2014 to raise the reward for the informants from P2,000.00 to P5,000.00.
The reward shall be given upon the certification by the city director of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) that the said informer has given information that led to the apprehension and prosecution of the accused.
The proposed amendment has been approved on first reading and referred to the Sanggunian’s Committee on Appropriations and Finance for review.
“By experience, the informants are not willing to publicly identify themselves and testify in court after giving information leading to the arrest of any person involved in the commission of heinous crimes for fear of reprisal or retaliation from the accused or from his relatives or subordinates,” Molintas stated.
Ordinance 15-2014 stipulates that the informant shall be given an additional amount of P10,000.00 upon conviction of the accused through their (informant’s) testimony. This provision is not part of the proposed amendment.
Pursuant to Section 1 of the same ordinance, P150,000.00 from the annual budget of the city government is appropriated to serve as a fund for rewards to informants who come forward with information about drug pushers and other “authors of heinous crimes committed in the city.” This provision is also not included in the proposed amendment.
In its explanatory note, the ordinance recognized that the problem of drug addiction “has reached epidemic proportions.”
“Unless the city takes positive measures to ensure the participation of the constituency, efforts towards the solution of the pressing problem will prove futile,” it stated.
114 drug personalities arrested
The Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) remains committed to cracking down on illegal drugs.
In his report on the accomplishments of the BCPO over the past six months, BCPO City Director Police Col. Glen Lonogan disclosed that the BCPO was able to conduct some 119 anti-drug operations in the city.
According to him, 114 drug individuals have been arrested within the said period, and a total of 221.3723 grams of shabu, 921.04 grams of marijuana and 585 ml. of marijuana oil with a total market value of Php 1,725,531.88 have been confiscated within the said period. **Jordan G. Habbiling w/ a report from Dexter See
