ILOILO CITY – Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas Sr. has ordered the withdrawal of the subsidy of the province to provincial prosecutors, accusing them of unjustly dismissing cases against suspected drug pushers.

In a letter dated January 9, 2009 to Provincial Prosecutor Bernabe Dusaban, provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada said the governor has ordered the release of monthly allowances of prosecutors and per diems for out-of-town travel stopped.

“We are afraid that the campaign (against) illegal drugs will get nowhere because of this seeming predisposition of the Provincial Prosecutors Office to dismiss illegal drug cases,” Mejorada said in his letter.

In a telephone interview, Mejorada said the subsidy amounts to around P3,000 monthly for each prosecutor, and travel allowances.

Mejorada said the governor received complaints from police chiefs of the province during a meeting on January 6 about the dismissal of complaints against the suspected drug pushers after their arrest by policemen.

Among the cases highlighted during the conference were those filed against  Henry Caspillo and Rolly Tiope in Balasan town in Iloilo.

“The case against Caspillo was one of the biggest apprehensions made by our police operatives and was being hailed as a 'big blow' against illegal drugs syndicates,” Mejorada said in his letter to Dusaban.

He also said that Caspillo was arrested in June last year after a buy-bust operation and subsequent raid.

Several sachets of “shabu”, along with firearms and cash amounting to about P40,000, were recovered, Mejorada said. He added that a minor was also used as a runner, and this is supposed to be an aggravating circumstance.

But he said the policemen who worked on the case were surprised when prosecutors dismissed the complaint related to the non-bailable offenses for which Caspillo was charged and allowed him to post bail.

He said the same concern was also raised over on the dismissal of the complaint against Tiope who was arrested twice for alleged drug pushing or possession of illegal drugs.

Dusaban refuted the allegations. In a telephone interview, he said the accusation that they have dismissed due cause is “baseless.”

He said prosecutors dismissed the buy-bust complaint case against Caspillo but filed the illegal possession of firearms case based on the evidence presented and on court rules. They have also filed the case against Tiope.

“We hope to enlighten the governor that these accusations are not true and that we have been doing our jobs,” Dusaban said.

In his letter, Mejorada also said that police operatives also found the names and cell phone numbers of two prosecutors in the wallet of Caspillo during his arrest.

“This is a matter of grave concern because the discovery about the names of these prosecutors and their cell phone numbers raises the possibility of protection being given him,” Mejorada said.

But he did not identify the prosecutors in his letter or in the interview.

Dusaban said his office will file charges against any prosecutor found to be involved in irregularities. But he said Mejorada should identify the names of fiscals whose phone numbers were allegedly found with Caspillo.*NPB

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