Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 13) — Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) National Capital Region (NCR) Chief Christian Frivaldo was relieved from his post following a sting operation in Taguig City last week.
PDEA Director General Moro Lazo on Monday said he assigned Emerson Rosales to replace Frivaldo as head of the NCR office.
The operation on Dec. 6 resulted in the arrest of PDEA Southern District Office Chief Enrique Lucero and two other agents.
Recovered from the suspects at the PDEA satellite office in Upper Bicutan, Taguig City were 1.35 kilos of shabu valued at P9.18 million.
Lazo also confirmed that aside from the regional director, all officials from the PDEA southern district had been replaced.
“All of the people assigned in southern district office has been replaced,” he said. “That’s why you saw director Rosales now. He is now the new director for NCR.”
The drug enforcement agency added that Frivaldo was sacked for command responsibility.
PDEA is now asking assistance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government to convince officials of Taguig to reconsider the city’s withdrawal of support for PDEA.
The city government earlier demanded that the building it turned over to PDEA Southern District Office in 2018 be returned so that it can be repurposed for a worthy public use.
“I hope the SILG (Secretary of the Interior and Local Government) will help me also to convince mayor na— hopefully they will reconsider yung stance nila na ganon,” Lazo said. “We are really in need of having a good office there.”
The Taguig City mayor’s office refused to hold a dialogue with PDEA officials last week.
