One was meted life imprisonment, five were acquitted, and another was sentenced to a minimum of six months to two years by the courts in Bacolod City for drug-related cases yesterday.

Judger Edgar Garvilles of Regional Trial Court Branch 47 sentenced yesterday a Bacolod City resident to life imprisonment for possession and sale of dangerous drugs.

Found guilty by the court for violation of Sec. 5 and 11 of Art. II of Republic Act 9165 or sale and possession of dangerous drugs was Alejandrino Baquilar.

Court records show that on April 1, 2004, Baquilar was arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by the operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency at Galo-Hilado streets in Bacolod. Acting on an information from a confidential agent that Baquilar was behind the rampant selling of marijuana at Purok Masanag, Brgy. 26, the PDEA formed a team for the conduct of a buy-bust operation.

SPO1 Arnold Yunsay of PDEA acted as poseur-buyer and paid Baquilar marked money of P60 in exchange for six marijuana cigarettes.

Also recovered from Baquilar's possession during his arrest was a brick of marijuana, court records show.

Garvilles, on the other hand, acquitted Rondy Ebrada, Ryan Soliguen, Eumer Angelo Gayondato and Cesar De la Rosa on charges for possession of drug paraphernalia in a case filed on May 14, 2004.

In his decision, the judge called the testimony of arresting officer PO1 Jonas Leroy Redoblo against the four accused as hazy, muzzy and full of loopholes.

Meanwhile, Judge Demosthenes Magallanes of RTC Branch 54, sentenced Joemarie De Asis of Bacolod City with six months to two years of imprisonment for possession of shabu. De Asis was arrested by Narcom agents Gilbert Linda and Insp. Armando Tubongbanua on July 8, 1998 at Rizal-Lacson streets in Bacolod, and found on him .20 gram of shabu placed inside a twisted cap of softdrinks.

Magallanes, however, acquitted Joahana Weber after the prosecution failed to prove her guilt in the case for violation of the dangerous drug act.

Weber was charged after a group of Narcotics agents raided the house of her mother in Villamonte and found .08 gram of shabu placed in a small transparent glass, and shabu paraphernalia.

In his decision, Magallanes said the guilt of the accused was not proven beyond reasonable doubt as the house searched by the Narcotics agents belonged to her mother and Weber was not staying there, nor (she was) present during the raid.*NB

back to top