MANILA — Four informants received a total of PHP4.83 million in cash rewards from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Wednesday.
In a simple ceremony at the PDEA headquarters in Quezon City, the informants received the incentive, which falls under the PDEA Operation: Private Eye (OPE), a reward and incentive scheme designed to encourage private citizens to report any suspected illegal drug activity in their community.
PDEA Director General Aaron N Aquino commended the civilian informants identified only through their codenames – – Toffee, James, Cold Ice and Basti – for providing information that led to the arrest of several drug personalities, the confiscation of a huge amount of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, and the dismantling of a large-scale clandestine laboratory used in manufacturing shabu.
“The informants wore masks during the ceremony in order to protect their anonymity. All information we receive through OPE are being handled with utmost confidentiality,” Aquino said.
He added that the OPE Rewards Committee, whose members are from the academe, non-governmental organizations, law enforcement, religious and business sectors, has approved a resolution granting the rewards to the informants following careful deliberation.
Among the informants, “Toffee” received the biggest reward of PHP1,806,846.60. The information he relayed resulted in the dismantling of a clandestine shabu laboratory and the seizure of 248,413.11 liters of liquid shabu, 21 liters of hydrochloric acid, and 3.79 liters of acetone during the implementation of a search warrant conducted by combined elements of PDEA-Central Luzon and the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG) Special Operations Unit (SOU) 2 in Villa Dolores Subdivision, Barangay Sto. Domingo, Angeles City, Pampanga on May 31, 2016.
“James” received PHP1,516,672.96 after providing information that led to the confiscation of 20,596 grams of shabu and the arrest of two drug suspects during a buy-bust operation conducted by joint operatives of PDEA-National Capital Region, Manila Police District-PS11, and Station Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operation Task Unit along Tambacan St., Sta. Cruz, Manila on Nov. 4, 2016.
Informant “Cold Ice” received PHP1,019,758.40 for providing information resulting in the confiscation of 19,673.81 grams of shabu and the arrest of two suspected drug personalities following an entrapment operation conducted by the NCR Police’s Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group along Green Meadows Ave., Barangay Ugong Norte, Quezon City on March 21, 2016.
“Basti” was rewarded with PHP491,155.16 after he supplied information that led to the seizure of 5,232.10 grams of shabu, and the arrest of one drug personality during a buy-bust operation by PNP AIDG-SOU3 along Aurora Blvd. corner Romulo Ave., Quezon City on Nov. 14, 2016.
“To fully encourage the participation of private citizens in the fight against illegal drugs, PDEA continues to give monetary rewards to deserving informants. With the increasing numbers of them coming out in the open to report illegal drug activities, soon we will have a vast network of eyes and ears in our communities,” Aquino said. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
