Eastern Samar gov says he will not tolerate any wrong-doing, more so drug-pushing

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
August 10, 2010

TACLOBAN CITY  –  Eastern Samar Governor Conrado Nicart stressed that he will not tolerate anyone doing illegal activities, especially cocaine-pushing or drug pushing.

“When I say anyone, it includes relatives and friends and province-mates,” Governor Nicart said in a phone patch with the Philippine Information Agency in Region 8.

Governor Nicart was reacting to a news story in the broadsheets which read “Eastern Samar Gov’s nephew, two others fall in drug bust.”

According to the Governor, Arnold Nicart who was arrested together with two others, by anti-narcotics agents on Saturday for allegedly trying to sell a brick of cocaine for P1 million to an undercover cop, is from San Policarpo, Eastern Samar, which “is where I live.”

The Governor said that Arnold Nicart’s father is a member of the Sangguniang Bayan of San Policarpo while his mother is a barangay chairman of Barangay Baras.

The family of Arnold Nicart is not an ally of the Governor because in the last election, they endorsed and helped the Governor’s opponent.

“In fact,” the Governor said, “the family openly campaigned for people not to vote for me.”

“When the two-ton shipment of cocaine bricks were dumped into the sea off Samar by sailors aboard the Chinese vessel King Yue I in December 2009, I was not yet Governor, nor was I holding any political position in Eastern Samar,” Governor Nicart said.

Governor Nicart is known to be supportive of the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF).

In fact, he even pledged to give an incentive of P1,000 for every cocaine brick that will be voluntarily surrendered to the PNP.

He said that even if the deadline which is July 28, have expired, he gave the assurance that he will still help those who would like to surrender cocaine.

Several national broadsheets carry the story of the Eastern Samar Governor’s nephew and two others who were arrested in the act of selling cocaine brick for P1Million, in a drug bust operation.

Deputy Director General Perfecto Palad, commander, identified the suspects as Jackson Garlejo, Ariel Bacolor and Arnold Nicart, said to be a nephew of Eastern Samar Gov. Conrado Nicart.

According to Gen. Palad, Aidsotf agents first arrested Garlejo and Bacolor in the Club Filipino parking lot in Greenhills, San Juan City, at around 9:30 a.m. after they offered to sell the cocaine brick for P1 million to an anti-narcotics agent posing as a buyer.

Supt. Leonardo Suan, operation leader, reported to Gen. Palad that under questioning, the suspects pointed to Arnold Nicart as the alleged owner of the drugs and said that he was waiting for them to deliver the money.

Garlejo then texted Nicart for the payoff. Nicart was arrested as he received the money outside a restaurant in front of the GMA-7 network building along Timog Avenue.

Supt. Suan said Nicart’s father was a first cousin of the governor. However, “We believe the good governor is not involved in this because he has been very active and supportive in recovering the shipment that was dumped last December. He has no control over what his relatives are doing,” Supt. Suan said.