By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) spokesperson, Police Lt. Colonel Ariel Pico, recently confirmed two of their officers were relieved of duty by Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) due to alleged involvement with illegal drugs. PRO-6 earlier identified the relieved police officers as Police Sergeant Charlie Lamis Blanza; Patrolmen Angelo Ca-al, Henson Digon, Kennet Escolta, John Paul Talaban, and Joselito Colantro, Jr.; Police Staff Sergeant Jojie Salahid; and Police Corporals Victor Jimenia and Pedrito Lupo.
Pico positively identified Lupo as a member of the BCPO.
Aside from Lupo, the BCPO official also noted, Patrolman Bryn Jeptha Gimotea was on the list of officers recommended for dismissal. Gimotea was previously arrested last August after he was caught in the act of smoking marijuana along Lacson Street in Bacolod City. He was nabbed by his own training officer, Police Senior Master Sgt. Emmanuel Alonsogay, who is also assigned under BCPO’s Police Station 1.
Police recovered one improvised cigarette-rolling pipe containing suspected dried marijuana, along with one plastic sachet of suspected dried marijuana.
Earlier, Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan said the recent relief order is part of PRO-6’s ongoing internal cleansing.
The law enforcement official said he has no second thoughts relieving erring police officers, especially those involved in illegal drugs, and noted, PRO-6 will further boost counterintelligence efforts.
He also ordered all cops in the region to strengthen their neutralization efforts of high-value drug targets./DGB, WDJ