More drug suspects killed in North, Central Luzon

MORE DRUG SUSPECTS were killed in north and Central Luzon including a public school teacher even as hundreds surrendered.

Baguio City

In Baguio City, to date,  six drug peddlers have been killed by policemen in anti-illegal drug operations while three have reportedly been killed by their own syndicates to silence them.

Some 686 drug personalities surrendered to police. At least 92 have admitted to selling drugs while 564 were only users.

Senior Supt. George Daskeo, city police chief, warned surrenderees not to go back to drugs, otherwise the police will track them down.

Crime volume fell as crackdown on drugs in the city, where all 128 barangays are supposedly drug-infected was intensified.

Daskeo bared these in a report before city officials, saying there was 25.33-percent decrease with 186 crimes recorded in July against 241 cases in June.

Police said decrease in crimes was due to upped operations catch drug users and peddlers, who are more commonly involved in crimes.

 According to Daskeo, those who are involved in crimes are also into drugs based on background checks on perpetrators.

 Daskeo added since the surrender of drug users and tracking down of drug peddlers, crimes have slowed down.

Ilocos Norte

Rodel Don Legaspi of the Mariquet-Manalpac Elementary School in Solana, Ilocos Norte was driving his tricycle when motorcycle-riding men fired at him in Barangay San Juan, said Chief Insp. Dexter Corpuz, Ilocos Norte police spokesman.

Legaspi died while being treated at the Dingras District Hospital.

Corpuz said Legaspi was ranked 14th on the drug watchlist of Solana.

In Ilocos Norte, alleged drug trafficker Andrew Pasalo reportedly shot at a team of police officers out to arrest him in San Nicolas town on Friday night.

The officers retaliated, hitting the suspect who was declared dead on arrival at a hospital in Batac City.

Report said Pasalo had sold a sachet of shabu to an undercover agent before he was killed.

Ilocos Sur

In Ilocos Sur, unidentified men gunned down Fernando Garringo in Barangay Calimugtong in Galimuyod town at noon Wednesday. He was among the top drug suspects in Candon City.

La Union

Construction worker Frency Allen Perez, 38, was shot dead by motorcycle-riding men in Bauang, La Union Monday morning.

Chief Inspector Rex Buyucan, town police chief, said Perez was on the police watchlist but his mother, Amy, denied that her son was engaged in illegal drug trade.

Amy said her son had surrendered to their village chief and she could not understand why he was still killed.

Perez and his wife Desiree were on their way to the market when the gunmen waylaid them at around 4 a.m. in Barangay Acao.

Supt. Bryant Demot, San Fernando City police chief, said Audie Flores, 52, chairman of Barangay Ilocanos Norte, and nephew Medelito Flores, 35, were killed by unidentified men who barged into their house July 31.

Flores’ partner RenalynMunar, 34, was wounded and remains confined in a hospital.

Flores was the most wanted drug personality in La Union while Munar was ranked eighth on the drug watchlist in San Fernando.

Aris Acosta, 32, whom police said was the top drug personality in Luna town, was shot dead by motorcycle-riding men.

Police said the slain men recently surrendered, but did not stop their illegal activities.

In La Union, a surprise drug test was conducted on 200 individuals who had earlier surrendered to authorities in Bangar town.

Mayor George Pinzon had the 200 men and women who surrendered last July 1 tested for drug use at the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC) in San Fernando City to check if they have been faithful to their oath to turn away from drugs. 

Ilocos Sur

In Ilocos Sur, Allan Villegas was shot dead along the national highway in Barangay Vacunero in Sto. Domingo town.

Welder Norman Locquiao was killed by unidentified men who entered his house in Barangay Nalasin in Santiago town and shot him repeatedly.

Chief Inspector Greg Guerrero, Ilocos Sur police spokesman, said Locquiao was among those who had surrendered under OplanTokhang.

In La Union, around 200 drug suspects who surrendered in Bangar town on July 1 were asked to undergo drug tests Tuesday.

Bangar Mayor George Pinzon brought the drug suspects to the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center to check if they have stopped using drugs since they surrendered.

Mountain Province

In Mountain Province, provincial police information officer Faith Igualdo said 359 users/pushers surrendered  from six towns last week.

Some 359 surrenderees came from the towns of Bauko,  Bontoc, Paracelis, Sagada, Sabangan and Tadian.

 Of the total 357 surrenderees, 22 were pushers.

There was no record of drug surrenderees from Barlig, Sadanga, Natonin and Besao as of presstime.   

Police are yet to trace where shabu is coming from, Igualdo said, referring to outlets via roads Baguio-Bontoc, Kalinga-Bontoc, Bontoc-Ifugao, Ilocos-Tadian.

Nueva Vizcaya

In Nueva Vizcaya, former municipal councilor Stephen Dulay and his companion Fred Ascado were arrested during a sting in Barangay Don Mariano Perez in Bayombong town.

The two men were collared after handing over a sachet of shabu to an undercover agent, said Supt. CevalierIringan, Cagayan Valley police spokesman.

56 killed in Pangasinan

At least 56 persons have been killed and 9,107 others surrendered in Pangasinan since July 1, the provincial police office reported Tuesday.

In his presentation during a command conference, Supt. Jackie Candelario, Pangasinan police deputy director for operations, said 18 were killed in shootouts with police while 28 were shot dead by unidentified men.

Candelario said 8,803 of those who surrendered were suspected drug users and 298 were pushers. He said 253 persons were arrested in stings.

He said around 284.3 grams of shabu and 27.7 grams of marijuana with an estimated street value of P1.6 million were recovered from the suspects.

In Pangasinan, San Carlos City Vice Mayor Julier Resuello underwent drug tests in three separate government agencies to prove that he was not a drug user.  

“I know that I’m negative of drugs but I just wanted to prove my detractors wrong as they have been consistently dragging my name,” Resuello said. 

Resuello tested negative for drug use at the regional offices of the National Bureau of Investigation, Department of Health and the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory in La Union.

Isabela

In Isabela, Jun Rey Balanay, 30, was gunned down in Barangay San Fermin, Cauayan City last week.

As this developed, the most wanted drug personality in Nueva Ecija was arrested at his house in Barangay Bantug Norte in Cabanatuan City. 



BernabeCandido, 56, reportedly yielded at least 240 grams of suspected shabu, a .45-caliber pistol, a grenade,  a digital weighing scale as well as drug paraphernalia.

Candido’s arrest was based on a warrant issued by Executive Judge Ana Marie Joson-Viterbo.

Nueva Ecija


At least P500,000 worth of shabu was seized in a raid on the house of a certain Candido Ortiz in Barangay Bantug Norte in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.

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Pampanga

In Bulacan, Dennis Flores, alias Wacky, a resident of Barangay Sta. Monica in Hagonoy town, and a certain James of Barangay San Juan in Balagtas were killed in an alleged shootout with police on Tuesday.

The body of an unidentified man was found in Barangay CaduangTete in Apalit, Pampanga on Monday. The body bore a placard that read: “Ako’y pusher, huwag tularan (I am a pusher, don’t emulate).”

Bulacan

Also in Bulacan, Damaso Santiago, chairman of Barangay San Martin in San Jose del Monte City, was shot dead by unidentified men Monday. Police said Santiago was a known drug pusher in his barangay.

Six other men were killed in anti-drug operations in the towns of Norzagaray, Marilao, San Rafael and San Jose del Monte City.

Senior Supt. Romeo Caramat Jr., Bulacan police acting director, identified the fatalities as Benedict Florentino, alias Tisoy; Raymond Magat, alias Panga, both  residents of Barangay Bigte in Norzagaray; Michael Lim, 47, of Barangay Lambakin in Marilao;  an alias Paypay and Leo Panulong, alias Toto, of San Jose del Monte.

Another man who was killed in a sting in San Jose del Monte has yet to be identified. 

Police said the suspects yielded guns, sachets of shabu and drug paraphernalia.

7 dead

Senior Supt. Romeo M. Caramat, acting provincial director of the Bulacan Police Provincial Office (PPO), identified the fatalities as Police Office 1 Franco Sagudang, with PNP Badge No. 226404 and assigned to the Regional Police Security Battalion 3; Benidict Florentino, alias “Tisoy” and Raymond Magat, alias “Panga,” both of Barangay Bigte, Norzagaray;

Sagudang was slain in an alleged shootout with police during a sting in Bocaue, Bulacan on Monday night.

Sagudang, who went AWOL or absent without official leave, was assigned to the Regional Public Safety Battalion based at Camp Olivas in Pampanga.

Michael Lim, 47, of Northville 4A, Barangay Lambakin, Marilao; one alias “Paypay,” of Barangay Talacsan San Rafael, Bulacan; and an alias “Leo,” an alleged drug pusher who controls 90 percent of the illegal drug trade on Banana Island, and his unidentified cohort.

Caramat said four drug suspects were also arrested in five successive anti-illegal drugs operations conducted by the PPO in the first two days of the month.

15 drug  suspects killed  

Fifteen more drug suspects, including a barangay chairman, were killed in separate incidents in Luzon Tuesday and on July 31.

Four were slain in separate anti-drug operations in Norzagaray town and San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan at dawn Tuesday.

Senior Supt. Romeo Caramat, Bulacan police director, identified the fatalities as Benedict Florentino, alias Tisoy; Raymond Magat, alias Panga, and a certain Leo, whose alleged cohort has yet to be identified.

On Sunday, driver Peter Finuliar, 51, was shot dead by men wearing bonnets along Rizal street in Barangay Poblacion in Manaoag, Pangasinan.-- With reports from Erwin G. Beleo, Ric Sapnu, Gina Dizon, Manny Galvez, Ding Cervantes, Raymund Catindig, Jun Elias, Bebot Sison, Eva Visperas