Yielding to the National Bureau of Investigation agents, top druglord in Cebu, Alvaro “Barok” Alvaro has in tow, a bomb waiting for detonation that will set the country’s drug web crumbling in weeks.

The druglord who also operates in Bohol will reveal shortly a shortlist of his protectors especially in the military and the local government units.
Alvaro’s list includes protectors in the Philippine National Police organization that served as fortress of the imposing drug web holding market vantage in Cebu, Metro Manila and Bohol.

The fall of his illegal drugs business partner, Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz, in a police operation on June 17 in Las Piñaz, Rizal proved to Alvaro they were not that as protected after all.

Since then, Alvaro felt all guns pointing at him, realizing his vulnerability to extra-judicial execution either by protectors who wanted to silence him, or parties gunning for the reward or well-meaning law enforcers who had been gnashing teeth at the surge of the drug menace in the country.

Feeling unsafe in the hands of the PNP, Alvaro decided to surrender to NBI-Bohol at around 4 p.m. on June 21.

From Bohol, NBI-Bohol agents brought Alvaro to Cebu a few hours after his surrender on June 21, then to Manila the following day and back to Cebu in the evening to face a murder case filed against him.

The following day, June 23, the NBI team presented him to Judge Mercedita Dadole-Ygnacio of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 28 in Mandaue City.

The NBI team had supposedly presented him to Judge Jerry Dicdican of RTC Branch 25 in Danao City, the one who issued a warrant for his arrest for illegal possession of firearms and drugs.

Since Dicdican was on leave, the NBI team presented Alvaro to Ygnacio who ordered that he be detained at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center.

Alvaro has been tagged as the mastermind in the murder of Senior Inspector Jonas Tahanlangit, the chief of police of Poro Police Station in the Camotes Islands.

Riding in tandem shot Tahanlangit at around 4 p.m. on April 4 in Barangay Consuelo, San Francisco town in Cebu.

Judge Dicdican issued a warrant of arrest on April 21 against Alvaro in relation to the cases filed against him.

Alvaro’s wife and mother accompanied him when he surrendered at the NBI office in Bohol.

Lawyer Reynan Augustus Oliva, agent-in-charge of NBI-Bohol, said Alvaro assured to cooperate with authorities in running after key players in drug rings operating in the country.

Oliva categorized Alvaro as the main link in the illegal drugs web that established stronghold in Metro Manila, Cebu and Bohol with wide distribution coverage in strategic market.

As of now, the regional office of NBI-7 in Cebu City still withholds the vital information that Alvaro disclosed.

The classified information are still being studied as basis for the next moves to topple an imposing drug web in the country and other competing giant illegal drugs organizations.

With Alvaro’s delicate situation now, having spilled the beans, the NBI provides him with tight security while being detained at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC).

The Regional Intelligence Division-7 led by Police Supt. Rex Derilo and the Regional Special Operations Group-7 led by Police Supt. George Ylanan tracked Alvaro at around 10:40 p.m. on June 17 in Barangay Almanza 1 in Las Piñas City.

The police team supposedly intended to serve the warrant of arrest against Alvaro for a murder case and a drug case.

However, Alvaro managed to escape.

The police team killed Diaz and his bodyguard, identified as Paul Vincent Morales, who were with Alvaro in an alleged shootout that ensued.

The team from PRO-7 monitored that Alvaro and Diaz were going around to inspect eight safehouses that they had established in Las Piñas.

According to reports, Diaz and his bodyguard “allegedly engaged in a shootout with the police”.

The RID-7 and the RSOG-7 recovered an M16 rifle, a caliber .45 pistol, approximately half a kilo of shabu with estimated value of P600,000.

They also recovered identification cards of Diaz bearing different names, cellphones, pieces of jewelry, and cash amounting to P10,000.

It showed in the police surveillance reports that Morales had served as escort to Diaz in their rounds.

Diaz and Alvaro were on board a Toyota Fortuner when the incident happened.

Alvaro managed to flee while Diaz and Morales were engaging with the police team.

The intelligence unit of PRO-7 had also monitored in earlier surveillance operations that Alvaro and Diaz had often travelled to Luzon.

In fact, the PRO-7 learned that Alvaro got his supply of illegal drugs from Diaz for distribution in Cebu.

The Cebu-based police team decided to follow Alvaro when they learned that the latter had already established a residence in Las Piñas.

The intelligence officers of PRO-7 also culled information that Diaz had already acquired 10 properties in Las Piñas.

The shootout where the RID-7 and RSOG personnel had killed Diaz earned criticisms, especially with the reward of P50,000 from Cebu City Mayor-Elect Tomas Osmeña for anyone who could kill a high-profile drug personality.