MISAMIS ORIENTAL -- Another self-confessed drug pusher who ranked second in the watch list of a barangay in Tagoloan town was shot dead after he resisted arrest in a drug bust conducted by Tagoloan police on Saturday, July 16.
Chief Inspector Albart Tare, Tagoloan town police chief, said that Melvin "Alo" Tadeo whose name was on the watch list of El Mundo, Barangay Natumulan immediately drew his caliber .22 revolver upon hearing it was a drug bust and fired his gun to one of the police.
“Alo fired it to one of our colleagues, luckily he missed hitting him,” Tare said.
Tare and another police were positioned several meters away and shot the suspect to prevent him from firing another. Tadeo was fatally shot on his chest where two bullets lodged.
“Usa ko sa mga nakaigo ug ang akong kauban dayon after mi nakaretaliate. Kay planado mani nga operation nakaposte mi 10 meters likod sa atong poseur buyer (I’m one of those who hit him [Tadeo] and my colleague as well after we retaliated. Since it was a planned operation, we positioned about 10 meters away from the ‘poseur buyer’),” Tare narrated.
The police chief said El Mundo is highly swamped with drug peddlers and pushers.
Tadeo was one of those who took oath and yielded during the "Oplan Tokhang" conducted in the area.
“Nag-surrender nani siya and niapil sa oath taking but the night after padayon gihapon siya sa illegal drug trade. Kami ray gibinuangan ani (He already ‘surrendered’ and joined the oath-taking but the night after, he continued with his illegal drug trade),” Tare said.
Tare said that aside from Tadeo several others have gone back to trading illegal drugs.
He said the community has been very cooperative in reporting to police the insincerity of some of those who admitted they were doing drugs.
Tare warned those who were ‘back to business’ are subjected to police operations in the coming days.
“Daghan pa gayud kayo nibalik sa ilang illegal nga binuhatan, wala nila seryosoha ang Tokhang. Giluko ra nila ang police. Expected nga pila ka adlaw karon daghan pa ta operation himoon and pasakaan og kaso na kining mga tawhana once madakpan (There are a lot of them who have gone back to their illegal acts, they didn’t take Tokhang seriously. They fooled the police. It is expected that days from now we will have more operations and file charges to those who will be arrested),” Tare said.
Aside from peddling or pushing illegal drugs, Tadeo was allegedly involved in the series of robbery and theft in Tagoloan town.