AROUND 10 million worth of shabu was left unattended in a passenger bus at the Lasang checkpoint in Barangay Alejandra Navarro, Bunawan District around 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
Maj. Ronnel Legarde, Task Force Davao spokesperson, said the soldiers on duty at public utility bus (PUB) bay noticed the luggage inside the vehicle. They asked around for the owner but nobody owned up to the bag.
They immediately cordoned the area and called in the K9 team and the Explosive Ordnance Division. The handler checked for possible improvised explosive devices and the dog cleared it for danger.
The team decided to open the baggage to see the contents. They called the police after discovering six big packs of shabu. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency estimated the haul to reach P10 million.
Col. Darren Comia, the newly designated commander of Task Force Davao, said the volume of shabu could have destroyed thousands of lives if the troops were not able to intercept it.
“I highly appreciate the dedication and teamwork exerted by the TF Davao personnel, PDEA and DCPO in the checkpoint operations,” Comia said.
“We will always support and protect Dabawenyos,” he added.
Comia is off to a good start a day after Mayor Sara Duterte challenged him to secure Davao City from terrorists and criminal elements.
“You have big shoes to fill, one walang mangyaring terrorism incident, number two, kailangan mong ituloy ang legacy ni Col. Yecla on the culture of security, and number three, kailangan mong gumawa ng sarili mong legacy to contribute to the security of Davao city (You have big shoes to fill. One no terrorism incident, number two you need to continue the legacy of Col. Yecla on the culture of security and number three you need to create your own legacy to contribute to the security of Davao),” Mayor Sara said in her speech during the change of command on Tuesday.
Comia replaced Col. Consolito P. Yecla, who will be the new commander of the 1003rd Infantry Brigade.
The mayor expressed her gratitude to Col. Yecla for his hard work and his initiative of the successful culture of security campaign, the “Kapag May Nakita, Dapat Magsalita” anti-terrorism program.
Comia replaced Col Consolito Yecla who served as the city’s TF Commander from 2019 to 2021. Comia previously served Davao as 16th Infantry Battalion Commander protecting upland barangays in the Paquibato district from communist insurgents.
The mayor said that she is confident that with discipline and excellence as the main goals of Comia as explained in his speech the TF is in good hands.
“We are off to a good start, number one I heard discipline, so check na tayo, doon, (so we approved on that) number two I heard the word excellence, alam na namin taga Davao ang i-expect sa iyo (we in Davao City now knows what to expect from you) starting with discipline and excellence.
