5 drug suspects killed in Luzon

MANILA, Philippines - Five more suspected drug personalities were gunned down in separate incidents since Sunday.

An alias Bodoy was killed in a sting in Barangay Pang-hulo in Obando, Bulacan shortly after midnight yesterday.

A certain Taboboy Coronel reportedly shot it out with anti-drug operatives in Barangay Virgen de las Flores in Baliwag town on Sunday. 

Police said two .38-caliber revolvers, sachets of shabu and marked money were recovered from the fatalities. 

The body of an unidentified man  was dumped along Landicho road in Barangay Balasing in Sta. Maria town at around 1:15 a.m. on Sunday.

The victim was hogtied, his face covered in packing tape  and a piece of cardboard that read, “pusher ako wag tularan kayo na ang susunod (I’m a pusher, don’t emulate, you are next)” was found near  his body.

In Cagayan, Wilfredo Pascua Jr. was driving his motorcycle with his son in Barangay Mabuttal East in Ballesteros town yesterday when unidentified men on another motorcycle opened fire.

Pascua’s son was injured when their motorcycle crashed.

Senior Inspector Merwin Villanueva, Ballesteros police chief, said Pascua was a former councilman in Barangay Bulala Sur in Aparri and surrendered under Oplan Tokhang last year.

On Sunday, Manny Armales, 27, was shot dead near the Cagayan police office in Tuguegarao City. A sachet of shabu was found in his wallet.

Drug-free

Meanwhile, the municipal anti-illegal drugs councils (MADACs) in Abra have certified that all barangays in the province had been cleared of illegal drugs.

Senior Inspector Grace Marron, Abra police spokesperson, said the technical working group of the Cordillera police received the certifications of the MADACs in 27 towns recently.

The 303 barangay drug abuse councils also confirmed that there is no drug user or pusher in 303 barangays in the province.

Benguet, including Baguio City, is also eyeing a drug-free declaration by the end of the year.

Senior Inspector Benedict Gang-aoen, regional anti-illegal drugs special operations task group chief, said 19 barangays in Baguio City and 18 in other areas in Benguet are still being cleared of illegal drugs. – Ric Sapnu, Raymund Catindig, Artemio Dumlao