Jailed QC woman who cried ‘tanim-droga’ to wait 5 more months before arraignment

A woman who claims to be a victim of “tanim droga” or planted drug evidence will spend Christmas in jail for the second time, away from her partner and three young children.

The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 101 on Thursday moved the arraignment of Cristina Flores to May next year upon the request of her lawyer. The 37-year-old housewife is accused of possession and sale of illegal drugs and has been detained since her arrest at the Quezon City Female Dormitory in Camp Karingal, the headquarters of the Quezon City Police District.

Cora Agustin, Flores’ lawyer, asked for the rescheduling of the arraignment yet again, saying she has yet to officially receive the resolution issued by the city prosecutor’s office on the reinvestigation of her client’s case.

According to documents accessed by the Inquirer, the prosecutor’s office upheld its earlier resolution that found probable cause to charge Flores.

The reinvestigation of the case was ordered by the court after Flores challenged the official police report on her arrest following a supposed drug bust on Dec. 22, 2016 in Quezon City.

In her affidavit and supporting evidence submitted to the court, Flores said she was merely invited for questioning to the barangay hall in Barangay Apolonio Samson that night. She claimed she had just arrived home from a gift-giving event when a barangay watchman asked her to go to the barangay hall.

She was later placed under arrest after Michael Bryan Ortiz, who is also facing drug charges, pointed to her and another woman as the drug suppliers who had been using him as their courier.

The report of the La Loma police station, however, claimed that Flores was arrested in an entrapment operation with 0.03 grams of “shabu.”