MANILA, Philippines – Fifteen more drug suspects, most of them on the police watchlist, were killed in Luzon and the Visayas in the past two days.
Six, including a police officer, were slain in separate anti-drug operations in Bulacan.
Senior Superintendent Romeo Caramat, Bulacan police acting provincial director, identified three of the fatalities as Police Officer 1 Alper Duquiz of the Quezon City Police District; Michael Gonzales, a resident of Barangay San Juan in San Ildefonso town, and Arthur Bautista of Barangay Malis in Guiguinto.
Caramat said Duquiz went on AWOL or absent without official leave in 2014.
He said Duquiz fired at undercover agents during a sting in Barangay Calvario in Malolos City on Thursday.
Also in Malolos, Caramat said three men, who have yet to be identified, were killed in an alleged shootout with undercover agents after selling shabu in a taxi along the Blas Ople diversion road in Barangay Anilao.
Four men were slain in Pangasinan, one in a police operation.
Hernan Aquino, 41, a resident of Isla Leet Purok 7, Barangay Pinmaludpod in Urdaneta City, reportedly grabbed the firearm of a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics unit on Thursday.
Shot while sleeping
Kim Errol Tagulao was shot dead by unidentified men who barged into their house in Barangay Sinabaan yesterday.
Tagulao and his partner were sleeping when he was attacked. He was hit in the head and died while being treated at the Region 1 Medical Center in Dagupan City.
In Pangasinan, Reynaldo Regonan Jr., 28, whom police said was the second most wanted drug personality in the province, and Jesus Micua, 36, who was ranked third on the drug watchlist of Sta. Barbara town, were gunned down on Thursday.
On Thursday night, Ferdinand Alvarez, 51, was shot dead in Barangay Santiago Sur in San Fernando City in La Union. His companion Jomar Raagas, 18, was wounded.
Barangay watchlist
Superintendent Bryant Demot, San Fernando City police chief, said the two men surrendered recently after their names were included on the list of the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council.
Witnesses said three men wearing bonnets stormed the house of the suspects at past midnight and shot them several times.
In Rizal, an alias Caloy was killed in a sting in Barangay San Gabriel at around 11:45 p.m. on Thursday.
Allan Sol, 40, was gunned down in Barangay Dalas in Labo, Camarines Norte yesterday.
Police said nine drug suspects have been killed in Camarines Norte since July 1.
Meanwhile, in Negros Occidental, Globe Pas John Lumangyao, alias Tibor, was killed in a reported shootout with police manning a checkpoint along the highway in Barangay Mabini in Escalante City.
Police said Lumangyao, who was ranked 11th on the drug watchlist, surrendered under Oplan Tokhang.
Superintendent Mario Baquiran, commander of the Negros Occidental Public Safety Co., said the suspect yielded two guns and a sachet of shabu with an estimated street value of P25,000.
Baquiran said six drug suspects had been killed in police operations in the province. – Ric Sapnu, Raymund Catindig, Jun Elias, Eva Visperas, Non Alquitran, Gilbert Bayoran, Francis Elevado, Vic Alhambra
