5 drug suspects slain

MANILA, Philippines - Five more suspected drug personalities were slain in separate incidents in Luzon on Wednesday.

Suspected vigilantes shot dead Roberto Reyes, 35, a resident of Barangay San Martin in San Jose del Monte City and Jonathan de Guzman, 37, of Pulo, San Rafael, both in Bulacan.

Reyes was shot as he arrived at his house. Four bullet shells for a .45-caliber pistol and a piece of paper identifying the victim as a drug pusher were found near his body.

De Guzman was driving his tricycle when a man opened fire.

Senior Superintendent Romeo Caramat, Bulacan police acting director, said the fatalities were on the drug watchlist in their respective barangays.

 Jessie Oliveros, 36, was sleeping at his house in Barangay San Vicente West in Pozzorubio, Pangasinan when two men entered and shot him twice.

Police said Oliveros was ranked fourth on the list of drug suspects in Pozzorubio.

In Benguet, the decomposing body of a man who has yet to be identified was found in Sitio Rockshield in Barangay Badiwan Poblacion in Tuba town.

Chief Inspector Jim Hilario, Tuba police chief, said miners found the body, which was hogtied and bore multiple gunshot wounds. Probers said the killing could be drug-related.

Ronaldo Robles, 44, was driving his motorcycle with  his partner Aurora Aquino, 53, when unidentified men shot him in Barangay Poblacion 2 in Bauan, Batangas.Aquino was wounded and remained confined at the Bauan General Hospital.

Police are looking at illegal drugs as the motive for the killing.

Meanwhile, tricycle driver Jonathan Co, 35, alias Bay, resident of Barangay Imbalbalatong in Pozzorrubio, Pangasinan was gunned down by unidentified men. 

Co was pronounced dead on arrival at the Pozorrubio Community Hospital.

An investigation into the gun attack is underway.

‘Narco cops’

In the Negros Island Region (NIR), four more police officers suspected of involvement in the illegal drug trade were relieved from their posts and transferred to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Chief Inspectors Jeffrey Attunaga, Jerick Filosopo and Argel Ancheta as well as Police Officer 3 Mewyn Oñas were reassigned to the ARMM on Jan. 6.

Thirty-five NIR police officers linked to illegal drugs have been transferred to the ARMM and Cordillera Administrative Region since October. – Ric Sapnu, Eva Visperas, Ed Amoroso, Raymund Catindig, Gilbert Bayoran, Emmanuel Tupaz