North Cotabato school exec ready to face charges, not hiding, lawyer says

KIDAPAWAN CITY – Cotabato state-run college president Dr. Sam Molao is ready to face ‘serious’ charges filed against him, including alleged operation of a drug den inside the school and possession of illegal firearms, his lawyer said.Molao was not in his staff house when anti-narcotics agents conducted the raid on Monday. More or lessP500 worth of shabu and 13 assorted high powered guns were recovered and five of his staff workers were arrested.Records showed the complaints were filed on Monday by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) at the office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Kidapawan City.Attorney Israelito Torreon, Molao’s lead counsel, said his client does not intend to hide from authorities but was ‘shocked’ to learn that the PDEA has issued a manhunt to arrest him. How can the PDEA issue a manhunt order? There is yet no warrant to arrest my client, Dr. Molao. He was really surprised to know that the charges had included his alleged operation of a drug den inside the school. Is that possible? That his school has a drug den? Torreon said in a radio interview over Catholic-ran DXND.On January 29, PDEA from the national headquarters led by Levi Ortiz, director for Special Enforcement Services, and elements of the Special Action Forces of the PNP, raided the president’s yard inside the campus of the Cotabato Foundation College for Science and Technology (CFCST) located at Barangay Doruluman in Arakan, North Cotabato for alleged operation of a shabu laboratory and proliferation of high-powered firearms.They arrested five of CFCST guards that they caught holding firearms when they raided the campus.Ortiz said they also seized 13 firearms, all lacking in legal pertinent papers.But Molao, through Torreon, questioned the manner of the implementation of the search warrant. The PDEA operatives arrested those persons who were included in the search warrant. These people were security guards of the school. They were just hired to secure the school from groups that are out to overtake or occupy it, said Torreon.He explained that at this time his client could not be arrested by anybody as there is yet no warrant issued for his apprehension. Take note. There was only a search warrant, not a warrant of arrest. A search warrant gives authority to search a particular place. It is not even an authority to search another place that was not mentioned in the document, said Torreon.He said he felt obliged to talk to media to clarify matters as regards his client’s case. I have to inform the PNP, the PDEA, and the military that they should not arrest Dr. Molao on site.Whoever arrests him, we are also forced to file charges against them, he stressed.Authorities, he explained, can only arrest a person if there’s an arrest warrant if that person is committing a crime in their presence if there’s probable cause that a crime has just been committed and if these law enforcers have personal knowledge that a person to be arrested has,m indeed, committed a crime. Questionand is there a warrant for Molao’s arrest? There is none. Is the crime just been committed? No. the crime was committed on January 29,which is already more than 36 hours from that time.Do they have personal knowledge of the alleged commission of the crime? No, they didn’t have. Conclusion, they do not have legal authority to arrest Dr. Molao, said Torreon.Two years ago, Molao, he said, was slapped with several charges, all serious allegations, but were dismissed.