Drug war: Lanao del Sur councilor arrested, 2 slain in Bulacan

MANILA, Philippines — Two more suspects were killed in Bulacan while a town councilor in Lanao del Sur was arrested in anti-drug operations on Wednesday.

Abedin Disalongan, a member of the Sangguniang Bayan of Balabagan, yielded sachets of shabu, an M16 rifle and two 9mm pistols in a raid on his residence, Juvenal Azurin, director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency office in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said yesterday.

Azurin said they conducted the raid after receiving reports on Disalongan’s alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Alfred Morte, alias Dabog, and Joseph Gallardo drew their guns when they sensed they had sold shabu to police officers who posed as buyers in Meycauayan and Malolos, respectively, according to Senior Superintendent Chito Bersaluna, acting Bulacan police director.

Bersaluna said Morte yielded five sachets of shabu and a .22 caliber pistol while 29 sachets of marijuana, nine sachets of shabu, marijuana sticks and a .22 caliber pistol were recovered from Gallardo.

Thirty-seven sachets of shabu were also reportedly recovered from 14 other suspects arrested in Marilao, Bustos, Bocaue, Calumpit, Obando and Plaridel in the past two days.

In Cagayan, Agustin Balisi, who is in President Duterte’s narco list, was arrested in a raid in Barangay San Jose, Lallo.

Lea Zeta, 19, yielded more than 20 grams of shabu with an estimated street value of P146,200 in Barangay Sabang, Tacloban, police said. – Ramon Efren Lazaro, Raymund Catindig, Miriam Desacada