CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — A few days into his third and final term, Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno faces a crisis in his family.
Moreno’s eldest son, Sean, 43, was apprehended along with seven others in a buy-bust operation by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in a hotel in Angeles City last Saturday night, June 29.
It took Moreno four days to issue a statement through social media on this matter.
“As a father, my first reaction was to ensure his safety while in detention, and to provide legal support,” the mayor said in a statement he released on social media Wednesday afternoon.
In his statement, however, Moreno did not elaborate if he has already sent a lawyer to act as Sean’s legal counsel.
“Even if he has gone astray, Sean is still my son, whom I took very special care of since his birth. I deeply regret the situation that Sean is in now. I will endlessly continue to struggle thinking about what led him to this,” he added.
Moreno said that what is happening is “a very difficult time that Sean and the family are going through.”
“But we have to deal with this, and we pray that [he] will still have a bright tomorrow. Thus, in spite of the pains and hurts, I remain undeterred in believing that God will show Sean the way. And we will unconditionally support him,” he added.
According to reports, those arrested with Moreno were identified by PDEA as Bernice Fabiosa, 21; Ma. Isabel Lawas, 19; Aileen Baldon, 23; Jaime Mendoza, 20; Jessa Scott, 19; Bernadeth Saavedra, 19, and Gregorio Imperial, 26. All are residents of Angeles City.
Confiscated from them were 310 tablets of ecstasy; five capsules of Dimethyl Tripticase; a plastic bottle containing 100 tablets of Valium; three plastic sachets containing suspected kush, described as a more potent cannabis variety; a plastic sachet containing some 0.75 grams of cocaine; and a weighing scale.
Authorities estimated the street value of the seized drugs at P1 million. (davaotoday.com)
