MANILA, Philippines - Three more drug suspects and two other men were shot dead in separate incidents in Luzon in the past two days.
Jomer Bucarile, a resident of Barangay District 3, Cauayan, and Angelito Castillo, 49, councilman of Barangay Centro Dos, Mallig in Isabela, were driving their tricycles when shot by unidentified men in sport utility vehicles yesterday and on Friday, respectively.
Efren Pabiona, a resident of Barangay Baligatan, Ilagan also in Isabela, drew his gun when he sensed he had sold shabu to undercover agents in Barangay Guinatan on Friday.
Police said the fatalities were on the drug watchlists in their barangays and surrendered under Oplan Tokhang last year.
Mark Reyes, alias Mac-Mac, reportedly shot it out with anti-drug operatives in Barangay Macabling, Sta. Rosa, Laguna after midnight yesterday.
Meanwhile, police have yet to determine if the killing of farmer Walter Pascion, 32, in Barangay Kita-Kita, Balungao, Pangasinan on Friday was drug-related. A man in a white van without license plates shot the victim.
Habal-habal driver Carl Bulalacao was in Barangay Luy-a, Aroroy, Masbate when motorcycle-riding men shot him several times. He died at the scene.
23 arrested
Twenty-three other drug suspects were arrested on Friday, 15 of them in Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Camarines Sur.
At least 53 sachets of shabu, drug paraphernalia, a weighing scale, marked money, a .22-caliber revolver and an improvised gun were recovered from the suspects, according to police reports.
In Surigao City, six persons, including a minor, were nabbed after a raid on a suspected drug den in Barangay Cagniog reportedly yielded 20 grams of shabu with an estimated street value of P236,000.
Two women were arrested in Barangay Mojon, Malolos, Bulacan for alleged possession of 105 grams of shabu estimated to cost over P400,000. Police said one of the suspects got the drugs from a detainee at the Bulacan provincial jail. – Raymund Catindig, Ed Amoroso, Ric Sapnu, Eva Visperas, Francis Elevado, Celso Amo, Ramon Efren Lazaro, Ben Serrano