Woman who cried ‘tanim droga’ finally arraigned

After languishing in jail for over a year and a half, the woman who accused La Loma police of planting drugs on her maintained her innocence when she was finally arraigned earlier this month.

Cristina Flores, a 37-year-old Quezon City housewife, pleaded not guilty to drug charges on May 11 at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 101.

Much-delayed arraignment

Her arraignment came 17 months after her arrest on Dec. 22, 2016, allegedly for possession of less than a gram of “shabu” (crystal meth).

However, her coaccused, Michael Bryan Ortiz, was ordered released by the court after he entered into a plea bargain agreement and pleaded guilty to the drug charges against him.

Judge Evangeline Castillo-Marigomen ordered his immediate release from Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City, after he was found to have served the corresponding penalty of up to six months in jail. He was arrested in 2016.

Flores’ case, on the other hand, has yet to be tried after she challenged the official police report on her arrest. She remains detained at Camp Karingal.

Although the court ordered a reinvestigation, the city prosecutor’s office upheld its earlier resolution that found probable cause to charge her.

In her affidavit and supporting evidence submitted to the court, Flores denied the drug charge against her and said that on the day she was arrested, barangay officials invited her for questioning.

To her surprise, when she arrived at the barangay hall, she was placed under arrest when Ortiz identified her and another woman as his drug suppliers.

Contradictory report

The report from the La Loma police station, on the other hand, claimed that Police Officers 1 Allen Cristian Camangon and Mico Jensen Amurao had arrested Flores during an entrapment operation.

In May 2017, as the case was being investigated, six of the La Loma policemen were relieved, including Camangon, Amura, station commander Supt. Tomas Nuñez, the station drug enforcement chief and two beat patrollers.