CL PNP chief: I’ll kill cops, mayors involved in drugs

40 illegal drug suspects slain

By Mar Supnad, Manny Galvez and Ric Sapnu

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — With Central Luzon having the highest kills of 40 suspected illegal drug pushers and users nationwide, Chief Supt. Aaron N. Aquino, the new Police Regional Office 3 said Tuesday he would also kill policemen and mayors protecting drug syndicates in Central Luzon.

           “I’ll kill them all whether they are policemen or mayors if they are engaged in illegal drugs or protectors of this illicit trade,” Aquino said.

      On Wednesday, seven kidnapping and robbery suspects were gunned down following a shootout with the police in Pampanga.

        Killed following a protracted running gun battle with the police in Barangay Pandacaque, Mexico town and Barangay San Jose, in the municipality of Magalang Wednesday were kidnapping and robbery suspects Reynaldo Domingo Jr. of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan; Dante Deogrades of Sta Maria, Bulacan;  Christian DiorgeUy  of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan; Elmer Ballesteros of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan; Rolando Castroverde of Bulacan and Jimboy Santos, said to be the leader of the group, and a still unidentified male.

       “The problem in the past is that if you apprehend and charge in courts these scalawag policemen particularly those protecting illegal drugs, they can only pay for their cases and will eventually get their freedom after three months or so.              They will be free again to go back into their illicit trade,” he added.

         The regional director said his command will follow the lead of President-elect RodrioDuterte in showing drug syndicates and their protectors in high places that “we mean business in our campaign against illegal drugs.”

        He allayed fears that there will be abuses by police under his command, saying the first step in the campaign is to identify and verify these policemen and local government officials involved in the illegal drug trade.

         “We’ll validate first the subject persons/policemen if they are really involved in illegal drugs, then we will launch an operation against them,” said Aquino, adding: “If they choose to fight with us, then we have no other option than to kill them.”

         He said the process of identifying who these policemen and mayors are is already underway.

         Since Aquino’s assumption as PRO3 director last May 30, around 40 suspected drug pushers have been killed in Central Luzon, most of whom were from Bulacan and Pampanga.

         In San Jose City, Nueva Ecija,three suspected drug traffickers, who reportedly tried to transport shabu with an estimated street value of P500,000, were killed in a shootout with police officers in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija  on Friday.

        The latest fatalities brought to five the number of drug suspects killed in a series of anti-drug operations in the province within eight days.

        Senior Superintendent Manuel Cornel, provincial police director, identified the three as  Salman Macapundag, 19, of Parañaque City; Ariel Sambrano, 51, of Barangay Novaliches, Quezon City, and Fernando Padilla  of Santiago, Isabela.

       Cornel said the encounter occurred along the provincial road connecting San Jose City and Rizal town.

       He said the suspects were in a white Nissan Sentra (TBB-733) when a team of officers from the city and provincial police signaled them to pull over at a checkpoint in Barangay Palestina.

       Team leader Inspector Roilan Gonzales said the car tried to evade the checkpoint, prompting them to pursue the suspects, which resulted in a firefight.

       San Jose police chief Superintendent Reynaldo de la Cruz said he ordered the checkpoint set up along the provincial road after receiving reports that three men would transport illegal drugs from Pangasinan.

        Investigators recovered several bullet shells, two large plastic sachets said to contain shabu, drug parapernalia and two phones.

       The three were the latest fatalities in a crackdown against suspected drug traffickers rs in the province since June 10.

       Last Tuesday, a suspected drug traffickers identified as Efren Damian was killed in an encounter with police officers in Cabiao town.

        Damian’s killing came four days after a team of police officers shot dead a female drug suspect and her brother-in-law in front of her three children in Talavera.

       Aquino said he is optimistic that the police can significantly minimize the illegal drugs scourge illegal drugs and crimes in three to six months as promised by Duterte.