COTABATO CITY — Police in Maguindanao joined a massive manhunt against an education executive whose staff house in North Cotabato yielded about P500,000 worth shabu and high powered guns during an anti-drug operation Monday dawn.
Chief Supt. Graciano Mijares, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police director, said that Maguindanao police agents were now coordinating with the relatives of Dr. Samson Molao, president of the government-run Cotabato Foundation College of Science and Technology (CFCST) for his peaceful surrender.
Levi Ortiz, director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Special Enforcement Services, said that it would be better for Molao to show up peacefully than continue hiding.
“It would be best for the school president to voluntarily surrender to PDEA or any government security agency as he can have his lawyers,” Ortiz told reporters in an interview.
Ortiz did not say whether a timetable was set for Molao’s surrender.
Ortiz led a team of PDEA agents from the ARMM and Region 12 in serving the search warrants issued against Molao at 3 a.m. Monday inside the CFCST compound where his staff house was located.
Molao was not around during the raid. He remained at large as of Wednesday.
Government agents recovered some PHP500, 000 worth of shabu and 13 assorted high-powered firearms. Five workers of Molao were also arrested.
Ortiz told reporters the raid was conducted following intelligence reports that drug trafficking had been going on inside the CFCST campus in Barangay Doroluman, Arakan, North Cotabato.
Relatives of Molao said they had no knowledge where the school president was as even his mobile phone could not be contacted.
A relative, who requested anonymity, claimed Molao never engaged in any illegal drug activities but admitted the guns were owned by the school used by campus security personnel.
In separate statement, Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, Westmincom chief, said the 6th Infantry Division (ID) would provide intelligence information to PDEA.
Molao’s family is reportedly from Datu Montawal, Maguindanao, which is the area of jurisdiction of the 6th ID. (PNA)
