IT WAS a bloody weekend for three suspected drug pushers who were killed in what the police described as shootouts in the cities of Mandaue, Toledo and Cebu.
According to the latest figures from the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7, 73 suspected drug peddlers were killed in legitimate police operations from July 1 to Aug. 24.
The weekend’s operations brought the count to 76.
A fourth suspected pusher was shot dead, also during the weekend, allegedly by a fellow pusher in Barangay Maghaway, Talisay City.
As promised, the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is cracking down on suspected illegal drug figures, with more than 1,700 killed in less than two months.
Last Friday night, Duterte urged human rights groups to rethink their statements against the killings, saying, “I’d like to be frank with you. Are they (drug users? humans? What is your definition of a human being?”
Last Saturday afternoon, operatives from the Regional Special Operations Group 7 (RSOG) and Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (RAIDSOTG) 7 raided the house of Dindo Cabanas in Zone Ube, Barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City.
Cabanas, who was a security guard, allegedly tried to fire at the police, using his .38 revolver. That was at 2 p.m.
But the authorities got to him first.
Found on Cabanas was a black pouch containing a medium sachet of what was believed to be shabu, a pair of scissors and a lighter.
His .38 revolver loaded with three live ammunitions was also recovered together with his three security guard badges.
Thirty minutes later, another pusher was killed while the authorities were trying to serve an arrest warrant against him in Sitio Casoy, Barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City.
Viviano Pantaleon, an alleged big-time drug pusher and a gun-for-hire, was killed when he reportedly tried to shoot Supt. Samuel Mina Jr., chief of the Toledo Police Station, and his men.
According to PO3 Revocato Genon in an interview with Sun.Star Superbalita, the police were there just to serve a warrant on Pantaleon for illegal possession of drugs and firearms.
The warrant was released by Regional Trial Court Branch 59 Judge Hermes Montero.
Genon said that when the team went to the house of Pantaleon, they sighted Pantaleon and two of his cohorts. They allegedly started firing at the police while they were running away.
Pantaleon fell while the police lost his cohorts, who were unidentified. They ran into a wooded section of the mountain.
Found in the scene were a hand grenade, a KG-9 submachine pistol with two magazines loaded with bullets, 32 sachets of different sizes containing shabu, and five empty shells for 9mm pistols.
Pantaleon had allegedly not responded to Oplan Tokhang, the police force’s campaign to persuade suspected drug users and pushers to give up drugs.
The police said they failed to catch him before because there was no warrant against him, despite allegations that he would fire his submachine pistol for no reason.
In Sitio Cabancalan Dos, Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City an ex-convict who was also described as a drug pusher was shot dead when the authorities tried to serve a warrant against his brother yesterday morning.
Dennis Labajo, allegedly armed with an Ingram submachine gun, ran to the roof of their place and was about to shoot the warrant server when the Pardo police got to him first.
“Daghang nagpasalamat nga tawo sa palibot kay dili gud sila ka report namo kay hadlok sila kay naa’y armas (Many residents thanked us. They couldn’t report to us before because they were scared and the suspects were armed),” Senior Insp. Robert Lucernas, chief of the Pardo Police station, said.
His younger brother Regie Labajo, 24, was the subject of the warrant for the murder of a security guard identified as Alejandro Bayawa of Barangay Sinsin.
Regie was arrested with their alleged cohorts Robert Ouano, 42 and Julay Arante.
The group was involved in a series of robberies in the area and also maintained a drug den for years, the police said.
Because the place was so obscure, Lucernas said he Googled the location many days before the operation and studied how he could strategically place his men, to prevent the suspects from escaping.
He said that in every corner, there were about five “spotters” who texted the suspects whenever the police were coming.
“Maglisod mig operate kay bisan di pa mi kaabot sa eskina daghan nay mo-text niya. Daghan siyag lookout (It was hard to conduct an operation because even if we hadn’t reached the street corner yet, many of his spotters would text him. He had many lookouts),” Lucernas said.
The police had already asked the group to surrender as part of Oplan Tokhang, but they did not submit themselves.
Taken from the suspects were two loaded caliber .38 revolvers, one loaded Ingram submachine gun, shabu weighing seven grams, various bladed weapons, and a wig.
A suspected drug pusher was shot dead last Saturday, allegedly by a fellow pusher, in Barangay Maghaway, Talisay City.
Wilfredo Parame, 52, was reportedly walking toward his house in Sitio Lawis at 5:45 p.m. after attending a fiesta celebration in a neighboring sitio, when he was suddenly approached by his neighbor, Jackson Segundino.
PO3 Erwin Carbonquillo of the Talisay City Police Station said that just as he approached Parame, Segundino immediately shot him several times before fleeing.
Parame’s son told police that he saw Segundino shooting his father just a few meters outside their house.
Found in the crime scene was an improvised shotgun, a magazine filled with bullets for a .45 pistol, four empty shells, two deformed slugs, a holster, and two cellular phones.
Investigators led by PO3 Edwin Campomanes said that both the victim and suspect were under police surveillance due allegations they had peddled drugs.
Carbonquillo disclosed that earlier this month, Parame allegedly attempted to kill Segundino in the same barangay.
Investigators said that Parame was reportedly angry at Segundino for failing to remit proceeds from his sale of illegal drugs.
Police are still trying to locate Segundino.