FOR the month of January alone, two suspected drug suspects and an innocent teenager were killed in a "legitimate" police operation in Misamis Oriental, a police official said Thursday, February 1.
Data from the Misamis Oriental Police Provincial Office (MisOr-PPO) showed that from January 1 to 31, two drug personalities were killed after they allegedly fought back against the authorities.
Senior Inspector Corrine Mae Estigoy, MisOr-PPO spokesperson, said Baldomiro Pajo and Rufino Arado were slain in a separate police operations in Balingasag and Tagoloan towns, respectively.
Pajo, who was tagged by the police as "hitman," sustained gunshot wound on his head. A 16-year-old altar boy Francis Nicos Kamahalan was also killed after being hit by a stray bullet allegedly came from Pajo's firearm.
Last January 27, operatives from Tagoloan town police killed Arado after the latter resisted arrest in a buy bust operation.
Police seized the suspect's .45 caliber pistol and suspected crystal meth.
Estigoy said in the same period, the provincial police have arrested 35 drug personalities during the 38 month-long illegal drug operations.
The vigorous campaign also resulted to the confiscation of 112 sachets of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as "shabu," and 10 marijuana cigarettes.
Estigoy said "Tokhangers" in the province are targeting 14 drug personalities to be subjected in the modified "Oplan Tokhang."
She said these 14 drug suspects were in the Directorate for Intelligence (DI) watchlist in Camp Crame.
Estigoy said the new "Tokhang" scheme is intelligence driven, which means only those names appeared in the DI list will be the target of the government's anti-illegal drug campaign.
Estigoy added that from 14 of them, two were already arrested prior to the implementation of the new Tokhang.
"Ang target ay 14 lang other than that di na pwedeng tokhangin kasi tapos na sila noon," Estigoy said.