Eladio Yagao Gonzaga, a grade school teacher was caught red handed selling shabu a short distance from the school he was teaching during a buy bust operation on Saturday, April 22, 2016 at 10:30 in the evening in Barangay Calunasan Norte, Loboc, Bohol.
Gonzaga, a grade 3 and 4 teacher of the Bartolome Doria Elementary School is now under inquest proceeding at the Provincial Prosecutors Office for the sale and possession of dangerous drugs, violations of Section 5 and 11 of RA 9165 known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act 2002.
Moonlighting as a drug pusher, Gonzaga was collared by the Municipal Anti Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (MAIDSOTG) of the Loboc Police  led by Police Inspector Sam Garcia Dacullo after handing out “one piece small heat sealed plastic sachet containing suspected shabu” to Police Officer 1 Michael Mutya, posing as a buyer in exchange for marked money five hundred peso bill.
A subsequent body search of Gonzaga yielded “one piece small long heat sealed plastic sachet containing suspected shabu”. A Honda Wave motorcycle with plate number GA17904 and a black flashlight were also confiscated as evidence.
According to Dacullo, several warnings were issued by the police to Gonzaga to stop his drug pushing activities but were ignored until residents complained that shabu sessions were allegedly held in the school’s rest room.
Gonzaga is also set to face an administrative investigation by the Department of Education, Division of Bohol as the police report on the arrest of Gonzaga are being awaited as basis for the probe.
Gonzaga, 38 years old, single has been teaching for four years with an estimated monthly salary of P21,000.00 with Bartolome Doria Elementary School as his first assignment.
RA 9165 imposes a penalty of life imprisonment to death and a fine ranging from P500,000.00 to P10 million for selling dangerous drugs.
Possession of dangerous drugs depending on the quantity involved is penalized with a minimum imprisonment of twelve years and one day to twenty years and a fine ranging from P300,000.00 to P400,000.00 if the quantity is less than five grams. (Chito M. Visarra with reports from Rey Tutas)