Top Visayas cop bares offer by vigilantes to help in drug war

CEBU CITY—The highest-ranking police official in Central Visayas revealed an offer made by what he said is a vigilante group to help the police bring down drug suspects as part of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, Central Visayas police director, said he received a text message from an anonymous group offering to help police kill suspected pushers and others involved in drug trafficking.

“They want to take the law into their own hands because they could no longer stand the presence of people who continue to peddle or use illegal drugs,” Taliño said.

“But no. I won’t allow or encourage summary executions because that’s against the law,” he said.

“I told them to give me all the information about the persons who are still into drugs and let the police do their thing,” said Talino, a former Special Action Force officer.

“Maintaining peace and order is the primary work of the police,” he added.

Taliño said he received a text message from the group on July 21. Since then, at least three suspected drug users and a pusher have been gunned down by unidentified persons in different areas in Cebu.

Two of those slain—Roldan Cuizon, 30, and Wilson Cuizon, 23—were shot dead while supposedly in a pot session in the village of Buaya, Lapu-Lapu City on July 22.

On the same day, two motorcycle-riding assailants shot dead Bonie “Sadam” Ponce, an alleged pusher in Danao City. The gunmen left behind a note saying “I’m a pusher, don’t follow my way.”

On Monday, Alex Reyes, an alleged drug user and robber in Barangay Punta Princesa here, was killed by an unidentified gunman.

Taliño said he could not conclude whether these four individuals were victims of vigilantes.

“All we can say is that these persons were linked to illegal drugs and we don’t know who killed them,” he said.

While policemen were given by President Duterte three to six months to make a dent in the war on drugs, Taliño said he is discouraging vigilantism.

“Killing defenseless people is tantamount to summary execution,” he said.

He said although suspects had been killed by policemen, “they were considered legitimate (operations) because these people tried to kill our troops.”

In Central Visayas, policemen have killed at least 10 drug suspects since July 22.

Taliño said the regional police received a total of P300,000 from a private group that wanted to help in the war on drugs.

He said he decided to offer the amount as reward to policemen who kill suspected drug peddlers.