THE abduction of a retired police officer in Bacolod City may be related to the illegal drugs trade, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde said on Monday, April 22.

Retired officer Lito Pirote, who was taken by unidentified men on April 19, is on President Rodrigo Duterte's drug list.

“He is on the list. Of course, isa sa anggulo na tinitingnan natin ‘yun. As of this time kasi, wala pa tayong makitang ibang anggulo except doon sa alleged involvement niya sa illegal drugs,” Albayalde said.

(Of course, that is one of the angles that we are looking at. As of this time, we do not know of any other angles except illegal drugs.)

Albayalde said investigators are still facing a blank wall on the identity and the motive of the suspects.

Pirote is a former member of the Police Drug Enforcement Group along with former Police colonel Eduardo Acierto, retired superintendent Ismael Fajardo Jr., Senior Superintendent Leonardo Suan, Superintendent Lorenzo Bacia, Police Inspector Conrado Caragdag and Senior Police Officer 4 Alejandro Gerardo Liwanag who were all included in the drug matrix released by the President in October 2018.

Acierto earlier surfaced and claimed that there is a P15-million reward for his death. He did not identify those who have ordered him killed but he tagged former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang as among the drug lords in the country. (SunStar Philippines)