2 dead, 56 arrested in drug war in Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines — Two persons were killed and at least 56 others, 14 of them minors, were arrested in Metro Manila over the past two days as the government continued to wage war against illegal drugs.

Ryan Buising and Jason Abalos were gunned down by unidentified assailants in separate attacks.

Buising, 36, was helping out his friend, Jason Cruz, carry a dish cabinet in Barangay Canumay West, Valenzuela City Monday night when a lone masked assailant shot him in the face.

Buising had apparently surrendered to authorities as a drug user in July 2016, according to Chief Inspector Joey Hizon, the city police’s chief investigator.

The victim had also been fired from his job as a city hall maintenance worker when he failed a drug test, witnesses told investigators.

Police recovered from a crime scene a bullet casing and a slug from a still unknown caliber of firearm.

Abalos, 39, whom the police alleged was a robber and drug pusher, was sleeping in his house in Sampaloc, Manila when four masked men barged in and shot him several times just before 1 a.m. Tuesday.

A vendor told police she saw four men walk out of Abalos’ house and speed away on two motorcycles.

Barangay 450 officials told police Abalos was on their drug watchlist.

Probers recovered a .45 caliber bullet casing and three sachets of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu from the crime scene.

Starting young

Meanwhile, at least 11 minors ranging in age from 14 to 17 were “rescued” after allegedly being caught using drugs at a house in Makati City Monday.

Chief Inspector Gideon Ines, assistant police chief for operations, said the operation was conducted after a resident complained about the loud noises from the house where the minors were reportedly holding a drug session.

Five sachets of shabu, a sachet of marijuana and drug paraphernalia were seized from the minors, who underwent drug tests before being brought to the city’s social welfare office, Ines said.

In Quezon City, three boys were arrested for drug-related offenses.

Two 15-year-old boys were apprehended in Barangay Gulod at past midnight yesterday, initially for breaking curfew.

When policemen frisked them, they yielded a sachet of marijuana leaves and a cigarette filter with traces of the banned drug, said Chief Superintendent Joselito Esquivel Jr., Quezon City Police District director.

In Barangay Novaliches Proper, police officers confiscated 50 grams of marijuana from a 17-year-old boy Monday afternoon.

The boy, a Grade 12 student of Integrated Innovation and Hospitality College, was taken into custody after school officials received information he was carrying narcotics.

Assorted drug paraphernalia were also found inside the boy’s school bag.

In Manila, another Grade 12 student was arrested after he allegedly tried to sneak two sachets of marijuana into Arellano University Monday afternoon.

Rico Narag, 19, was about to enter the campus when guards frisked him at past 3 p.m. and found the drugs.

Manila Police District Station 4 commander Superintendent Robert Domingo said Narag was unapologetic during the investigation and admitted he was using marijuana.

Also in Manila, 19-year-old tricycle drivers Ruben Rosero and Joshua Comeda were allegedly caught smoking marijuana at the corner of Mayhaligue and Sanchez streets Monday night.

Two sachets of kush marijuana were confiscated from them, police said.

Drug den

Six drug suspects were arrested and around 30 grams of shabu, with a street value of P195,000, were seized by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives at an alleged drug den in Manila on Monday.

Joel Plaza, director of PDEA’s National Capital Region office, said the suspects were caught during the implementation of search warrants at an apartment along Oroquieta street in Sta. Cruz at around 2:40 p.m.

The suspects were identified as Nestro Beationg, 63; Rhea Gaskel, 28; Arnol Conise, 45; Joselito Villar, 32; Gimpaul Gamiao, 20; and Rommel Canlas, 31.

More arrests

Thirty-three more persons were arrested in various parts of Metro Manila over the past two days.

Among those arrested  were Regino Topia, Rogelio Diero and Marlon de Lima, who were caught in a sting in Barangay San Isidro, Makati.

Fourteen sachets of shabu with a street value of P200,000 and drug paraphernalia were confiscated from them.

In Pasay City, Korean Jae Woo Cho was arrested in a sting along with Jerome Balangit, Marcelo Salonga, Alexander Alvarez, Arriane Tobias and Jesus Balingit.

Also in Pasay, Perlita Nueda, 56, and her daughter Paula were arrested in a sting. Perlita is on the police drug watchlist.

Police also arrested 15 persons in Quezon City, three in Mandaluyong, two each in Pasig and San Juan for drug-related offenses.  – Robertzon Ramirez, Emmanuel Tupas