16 more drug suspects slain

MANILA, Philippines - At least 16 more suspected drug users and pushers were killed in various parts of Metro Manila over the past two days.

Ten of them were killed in three separate shootouts with police officers in Quezon City.

Six of the suspects were gunned down after they allegedly shot at anti-drug operatives during a sting at a drug den in Barangay Nagkaisang Nayon at around 7:45 p.m.

The slain suspects were identified as Jose Francisco Ledesma, alias Patet, 49; Ronaldo Ceron, alias Nano, 46; Ronnie Bardon, 27; Letecia Pascion, 40; and Jonathan Abe, alias Otik, 36; and Goldmer Albero, 37.

The targets of the sting were Ledesma and Ceron.

Five handguns – two .45 caliber pistols and three .38 caliber revolvers – were recovered at the crime scene.

Police officers also recovered two coin purses with four sachets said to contain shabu, a weighing scale, drug paraphernalia, 20 fired shells, 20 fired slugs and P1,000 in marked money.

Alleged robbers Marlon Sarenio, 22, and John Paul Ocdina, 19, were killed in an encounter with police officers at a vacant lot along EDSA in Barangay Ramon Magsaysay while they were allegedly waiting for their next victims at past 4 a.m.

The two, whose names are on police drug watchlists, were the subjects of a manhunt after they were identified as the suspects in a robbery along EDSA the day before the encounter, said Superintendent Igmedio Bernaldez, Masambong police station commander.

Ocdina was ranked eighth among the station’s most wanted persons and was the subject of an arrest warrant while Saren was provisionally discharged from the Quezon City jail for a robbery case.

Police recovered two handguns, 17 sachets said to contain shabu, three mobile phones, drug paraphernalia and a glass tube containing suspected marijuana leaves.

In another shootout, “Moymoy” and a still unidentified man were killed after they fired at anti-drug operatives during a sting.

Police officers said they were able to buy P13,000 worth of shabu from Moymoy.

Recovered at the crime scene were a “medium” sachet of shabu, five smaller sachets, two handguns, drug paraphernalia and marked money.

Cop gunned down

In Malabon City, Police Officer 1 Jeffrey Ramos, 31, assigned at the Navotas Police Community Precinct 2, was standing in front of the Palaisdaan Resort along Sanciangco street at around 8:45 p.m. when four unidentified men on two motorcycles shot him repeatedly.

Ramos, a resident of Malabon, was on his way to work and just waiting for the rain to stop, said Inspector Dennis Javier, city police chief investigator.

Investigators found sachets of shabu in the victim’s pockets and recovered 13 spent shells and four fired bullets at the crime scene.

Malabon police chief Senior Superintendent John Chua ordered a thorough investigation of the killing while Navotas police chief Senior Superintendent Dante Novicio was not available for comment. 

In Pasig City, an alleged pusher who used the alias Dato Samplidan died in a shootout with police officers during a sting just in Barangay Manggahan before 1 a.m. yesterday.

After sensing he was dealing with the police, Samplidan reportedly sped away on his motorcycle. Police officers cornered him near Buen Mar Subdivision, where he lost his balance and fell to the pavement. He stood up and reportedly shot at the approaching patrol car, triggering a firefight.

In Manila, suspected pusher Raymond Alcala was shot when he allegedly fought with police officers in a sting in Sta. Cruz before dawn yesterday.

Alcala’s relatives rushed him to the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center but he died at past 1 a.m. while undergoing treatment.

In Marikina City, alleged pusher Danny Figueroa was killed in a shootout with police officers during a sting in Barangay Nangka Wednesday night.

Three sachets of shabu, three mobile phones, a power bank, marked money and P200 cash were recovered from Figueroa.

In Mandaluyong, a suspected pusher was gunned down by motorcycle-riding assailants as he was walking along Amado Reyes street in Barangay Pag-asa Wednesday night.

In Pateros, still unidentified assailants on motorcycles shot dead Rolly Bautista in Barangay Sta. Ana just before 2 a.m., police said.

Bautista is in the Pateros police’s drug watchlist, said police chief Superintendent Joel Villanueva. – Romina Cabrera, Rey Galupo, Non Alquitran