Drug test gives Taguig cop away

A TAGUIG City policeman protesting his inclusion on a barangay drug watchlist only ended up implicating himself when he tested positive for “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride) twice.

On Sunday, PO3 Liberato Calda, a member of the Taguig City police force, went to Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 6 head Supt. Lito Patay to clear his name.

This was after Quezon City policemen went to his house in the Batasan area on Aug. 18 because his name was on the drug watchlist submitted by barangay officials to authorities.

A report from the Batasan police station said that at that time, only Calda’s wife was at home so she told them that he was at work, not mentioning that he was also a policeman.

False accusation

While meeting with Patay on Sunday, Calda said that his name may have been included in the watchlist due to a dispute he had with someone in the barangay.

He admitted, however, that he took drugs although he stopped three months ago.

To verify his claim, Patay asked the policeman to take a drug test as the QCPD Station 6 head had a portable drug testing kit in his office. The results, however, came up positive for shabu.

Calda was promptly escorted to the QCPD Crime Laboratory for an official drug test which also showed the same result.

QCPD director Senior Supt. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar said they would send the same specimen for confirmatory testing to the PNP Crime Laboratory in Camp Crame.

Should the results remain the same, this may lead to summary dismissal proceedings being initiated against Calda who was not placed in custody, he added.

Test results forwarded

According to the QCPD, the policeman’s test results were forwarded to the Taguig police which said that as of Monday morning, Calda had yet to report for work.

The policeman was previously assigned at the Taguig Police Community Precinct 5 in Ibayo-Tipas before his transfer to the Taguig City police station.

Calda entered the service in 1997 as a member of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force, moving on to the Taguig police Special Weapons and Tactics team and intelligence units.

Eleazar, meanwhile, said they would not give special treatment to policemen tagged as drug users or pushers.

“We will not tolerate nor favor police officers involved in illegal drugs. We strictly observe fairness and objectivity in drug-related operations and investigations,” he added.

“Further, this accurate information from the barangay official regarding people involved in illegal drugs for ‘Oplan Tokhang’ is undeniably a clear manifestation of the high trust and confidence given by the community which lead to [their] being more cooperative with our police,” Eleazar said.