THE Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 chief has denied he authorized the massacre of 14 men who were reportedly keeping unlicensed firearms in Negros Oriental last week.
Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas said the suspects resisted arrest and engaged the operatives in a shootout.
The incident happened during the implementation of search warrants that Sinas dubbed as “Oplan Sauron,” the name of the main antagonist of the fantasy novel, “Lord of the Rings.”
Sinas said one of his personnel, Corp. Ian Puerto, was hit in the thigh. He was brought to the Silliman University Medical Center in Dumaguete City.
The police official said the killings can be described as massacre if these are done in one place.
Sinas welcomed the plan of the Commission on Human Rights 7 to launch an investigation on the operation, but he also directed the Regional Internal Affairs Service and the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division 7 to check if the procedure in implementing search warrants was followed by his ground troops.
The New People’s Army (NPA) denounced the operation, claiming that the police killed innocent farmers.
Sinas said the slain suspects were NPA supporters, but this allegation was denied by the NPA leadership in Negros Island.
Eight of the police’s targets were killed in Canlaon City; four in Manjuyod; and two in Santa Catalina.
Aside from allegedly supporting the NPA, Sinas claimed the suspects were tasked to monitor police officers that were included in the rebels’ kill list.
Meanwhile, the PRO 7 seized P5.1 million worth of illegal drugs during the Synchronized Enhanced Managing Police Operations in the past three days.
The operatives caught 218, while two others died after resisting arrest. Five of the 36 arrested drug personalities were high-value targets.
In Barangay Hipodromo, Cebu City, the Drug Enforcement Group 7 caught Ritchell Betache, who yielded 100 grams of “shabu” worth P680,000. (From AYB of SuperBalita Cebu, KAL)