Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) director, Police Senior Superintendent Francisco Ebreo, recently ordered every unit of the city’s police force to pursue wanted drug lord Ramie Poja, who earlier eluded police during a raid on his home in Barangay Banago.

“We are conducting an ongoing cleansing of the BCPO,” the police director said. “Any information we receive [is] always being validated.”

He added, other law enforcement agencies across Negros Occidental have since joined the manhunt, pointing out, the suspect has employed a “Robin Hood” style approach in escaping police capture.

Ebreo said he was open to the possibility of somebody within the police force is aiding Poja, which enabled the suspect to escape arrest. He also warned against individuals sheltering the drug lord, noting, anybody caught providing such assistance to Poja will face criminal charges of conspiracy.

Earlier this week, Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) director, Police Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, ordered police in the province to capture Poja, who reportedly escaped after allegedly throwing two grenades at police over the weeked, which did not explode, as the pin had not been removed from the explosives.

Several firecrackers, called “kwitis,” were also used, signaling other nearby drug suspects of a police presence.

The operation, however, ended in the arrest of Roberto Rodriguez and Steve Libo-on, whom police believe to be working for Poja in the illegal drug trade./DGB, WDJ