BUTUAN CITY – There will be no special treatment to a patrolman who was arrested in a drug buy-bust in Surigao City, the Police Regional Office in the Caraga Region (PRO-13) assured the public Monday.
Patrolman Elton Jay Alabat Galanida, 28, a member of the anti-drug operation unit of the 1st Surigao del Norte Police Mobile Force Company, was arrested early morning Sunday in a buy-bust in Barangay Cagniog, Surigao City.
“Like other drug suspects arrested in our police operations, we would ensure an airtight case against him aside from not giving him a special treatment of any kind,” PRO-13 said in a statement.
Galanida’s alleged involvement in illegal drugs does not represent the whole image of the PRO-13, it emphasized.
“The PRO-13 remains the home of exemplary cops whose lives echo the true essence of public service,” it said.
PRO-13 director, Brig. Gen. Pablo Labra II, said an in-depth investigation into the involvement of Galanida in the illegal drug trade is ongoing , including those who had prior transactions with him.
In addition, Labra directed police unit commanders in the region to maintain their squad weekly interactive meetings for the personnel's spiritual growth and to beef up intelligence operations as a monitoring mechanism for their subordinates.
In a separate statement Monday, the Surigao del Norte Police Provincial Office (SDSPPO) said Galanida's arrest indicates that "no one is above the law" in the continuing anti-illegal drugs campaign in the province.
“Patrolman Galaninda shall face the consequences and punishment for the wrongdoing he committed following the law and due process,” SDNPPO said. (PNA)
