News of the arrest of a DLSU student allegedly peddling illegal drugs to other students made waves among students this week, and the concern has risen about the immediate action that the administration should take regarding the said student’s arrest.
Prabhjot Gill (I, AE-APC) was arrested by officials from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Manila Police District (MPD) last Monday in a buy-bust operation. The resulting police report tells that there had been 223 ecstasy tablets with an estimated market value of P 334,500 under Gillís possession at the time of arrest. The drug, more formally known as MDMA, is said to be a common one among elite and yuppie circles, with PDEA claiming that a small quantity of it can command prices as high as Php 2,000.
An Inquirer.net article relates that Gill had been “a ‘high value target'” to PDEA officials, after the agency received tips about him being a high-profile drug distributor in Metro Manila and parts of Central Luzon. Gill is cuurently in the PDEA Region III office at San Fernando, Pampanga as PDEA prepares to file cases against him in court.
The said arrest operation, however, occurred at One Archer’s Place, which is within the 200-meter periphery prescribed in the student handbook. As the handbook provides, students are not allowed to engage in drug dealing and similarly offensive activities such as drinking alcoholic beverages not only within the campus but also within 200 meters away from the campus premises. Note, though, that the student handbook defines the act as the “unauthorized bringing in, carrying, possession or use of drugs… during an academic function or school activity and any other provisions of the… Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.”
The University, however, is still contemplating on whether to press for charges, and if these are set, which charges are to be filed against Gill. As Elaine Concepcion, Coordinator for Student Discipline Programs, explains, “[The case] will be treated by the government agency concerned… However, the University may file a complaint for bringing the name of the University in disrespute.”
As of press time, reports from PDEA and MPD, Dean of Student Affairs Fritzie de Vera claims, have been forwarded to the University administration. The Student Discipline Formation Office (SDFO), the University Legal Counsel and other relevant offices are presently evaluating the case and is expected to give a final decision on the case at the soonest time.