Maguindanao town councilor killed in PDEA drug buy-bust

COTABATO CITY, Philippines —A councilor of a Maguindanao town was killed during an anti-drug operation in Barangay Rosary Heights 11 here on Sunday after he allegedly resisted arrest and tried to engage lawmen in a shootout.

Director Juvenal Azurin of the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency in the Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM), said PDEA agents were supposed to arrest Jaymar Nandang, a councilor of Northern Kabuntalan town, who sold some P136,000 worth of shabu (crystal meth) to an undercover PDEA agent.

But Azurin said Nandang had reportedly opened fire, prompting the agents to shoot him.

The operation joined in by operatives from Cotabato City police office and Philippine Marines happened at 1:40 p.m. at Purveyor Subdivision, Barangay Rosary Heights 11, Cotabato City.

“He was our high-value target,” Azurin said, referring to Nandang.

“He resisted and fired at our operatives when we asked for his surrender,” Azurin told reporters. “We have no other choice but to fire at him before he could hurt any of our team members,” Azurin said.

Aside from the 20 grams of suspected shabu estimated at P136,000, operatives also recovered a caliber .45 pistol, the buy-bust money and the cell phone used in the suspect’s alleged drug deal with the undercover agent. Relatives of the slain town official took his remains but refused to issue a statement.

/MUF