Five persons were meted life imprisonment while another was slapped a 14-year maximum prison term for peddling and possessing the banned substance shabu, Friday, at the Hall of Justice in Piapi, Dumaguete City.

Sentence to life by Regional Trial Court Judge Branch 30 Judge Crescencio Tan Jr. were Rodolfo Bocadi, Alberto Baticolon, Gina Tejeros, Arturo Diez and Mylinda Torres, who all stood trial for selling shabu in 2005.

Alan Vendiola, on the other hand, was convicted to suffer a minimum of 12 years and maximum of 14 years imprisonment, for possession of illegal drugs.

Tan said the five were found guilty because the evidences were sufficient to prove their guilt. "Authorities were straightforward in their testimonies that the transactions actually took place by giving a complete picture of how the buy-bust operations were conducted," he said in his decision.

Court records revealed that the defense merely offered denials that cannot prevail over the positive identification by witnesses.

Tan said denial is a weak defense if not substantiated by convincing evidence. The court had also proved the conspiracy between Bocadi and Baticolon as well as that of Tejeros and Diez, court records added. In her visit to Oriental Negros last week, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said her administration does not give any parole to persons caught peddling drugs, or in any heinous crimes with the use of drugs.

She said her administration has allotted P500 million in fighting the menace, and rehabilitation centers have been put up for offenders.*JG

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