Cop caught using shabu freed on bail

The senior police official arrested in Las Piñas for allegedly using illegal drugs was released from jail after posting a P240,000 cash bond  on Friday.

Supt. Lito Cabamongan, the former head of the  Alabang satellite office of the Southern Police District’s Crime Laboratory, walked out of the Las Piñas police jail on orders of the Las Piñas Regional Trial Court, said Chief Supt. Tomas Apolinario, chief of the SPD.

Judge Lorna Domingo of the Las Piñas RTC Branch 201 ordered the release of Cabamongan after he paid a bail amounting to P240,000 on Friday.

Cabamongan and a female companion was charged with possession of illegal drugs during parties and meetings, a non-bailable offense, as well as possession of drug paraphernalia and illegal drug use, Senior Insp. Jay-Ar Fajardo, head of the Las Piñas police’s Station Drug Enforcement Unit, said in his report.

The court, however, downgraded the charges to illegal drug possession and illegal drugs use. Both are bailable offenses.

Apolinario expressed disappointment on the court decision, saying “the aggravating circumstance, that Cabamongan was a police officer so as to be denied bail, was not considered by the court.”

Cabamongan was also facing an administrative charge for grave misconduct at the Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Service.

He and Nedy Sabdao were caught by narcotics operatives having a shabu (methamphetamine) session in a shanty in Evarlasting Homes, Barangay Talon 4 on March 30. 

Cabamongan and Sabdao tested positive for drug use. The police official was also found to be suffering from psychosis due to drug dependence.