Anti-drug cop, 6 suspects shot dead in Basilan

MANILA, Philippines — Suspected assassins working for drug pushers killed a police officer in Basilan yesterday.

Isabela police investigator PO2 Jayton Lagdameo was driving home on his motorcycle when unidentified men on another motorbike shot him along the highway in Barangay Menziat at past noon.

Lagdameo died from a gunshot wound in the head. 

Superintendent Gilzen Manese, Isabela police chief, said the murder of Lagdameo could be in retaliation for the relentless campaign of the police against illegal drugs.

Manese said Lagdameo was  handling a number of illegal drug cases.

Meanwhile, five suspects were killed in alleged shootouts with anti-narcotics agents in Laguna and Bulacan also yesterday. Another was slain in Quezon on Monday night.

Noel Silvestre, an alias Richard and a certain Nino reportedly drew their guns when they sensed they had sold shabu to police officers who posed as buyers in Sta. Maria and in Barangays Perez and San Gabriel in Meycauayan, both in Bulacan, respectively.

Joseph Santos and Ronald Gonzales were shot dead when they fired at police officers in a drug bust in Barangay Landayan, San Pedro.

Superintendent Eleazar Matta, Laguna police director said the fatalities were on the drug watchlist in the city.

Joseph Querejero reportedly resisted when police officers tried to arrest him after selling a sachet of shabu for P500 to an undercover agent in Barangay Bocohan, Lucena.

Police said sachets of shabu and the guns used by the fatalities were recovered. – Non Alquitran, Ed Amoroso, Ramon Efren Lazaro, Raymund Catindig, Michelle Zoleta