Duterte counts on 500 people vs drug trade

DAVAO CITY — Mayor Rodrigo Duterte bared yesterday a list of 500 individuals who, he said, can help him in ridding the city of the illegal drug menace by yearend.

"They are the ones whose help we can tap for us to finally put an end to the (illegal drug) problem," the mayor said in his weekly TV program, Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa, on ABS-CBN Channel 4.

Among those in the list were 10 policemen who are allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade.

The Southern Mindanao Regional Anti-Narcotics Unit (RANU) and other local police and military intelligence units reportedly provided the list to Duterte.

This developed as "salvagings" (summary executions) of suspected drug pushers continue in the city with three more victims slain over the weekend, bringing to 16 the number of unsolved murders since last month.

The killings were attributed to the shadowy "Davao death squad," although another vigilante group, calling itself "Los Pepes," has claimed responsibility for a number of "salvagings."

The Commission on Human Rights’ Region 11 office noted that in spite of the recent spate of vigilante killings, there have been no complaints filed by any relatives of the victims who were mostly teenagers and listed in the RANU’s "order of battle."

Besides, CHR regional director Dominador Calamba II said no witnesses have come forward to testify on the killings which were done in broad daylight and along busy city streets by ski mask-wearing gunmen on board motorcycles. — Edith Regalado