At least 28 suspects involved in illegal drugs were killed in separate incidents in Metro Manila in the last 24 hours.
National Capital Region Police Office Regional Director Chief Supt. Oscar Albayalde disclosed yesterday that at least 22 suspects were killed in legitimate police operations in Quezon City, Manila and Northern Police Districts from Thursday to Friday.
Northern Police District, which is composed of Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas cities, tallied 12 killed drug suspects; Quezon City Police District (QCPD) and Manila Police District had seven and three fatalities, respectively.
“Our police officers are highly motivated to work because we now have a backing by no less than the President himself,” he said.
More than 3,000 have been killed in President Duterte’s war against illegal drugs.
“We will welcome human rights group to investigate these. The police have to protect first the human rights of the majority of the Filipino people before the human rights of the drug pushers,” Albayalde said.
Seven drug suspects who allegedly fought it out with authorities died in Quezon City past midnight on Thursday.
Senior Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, head of the QCPD, said on Friday that suspects Buboy Bada, Jeffrey Mendoza, Elmer Gayoso, a certain Francis and their three unidentified cohorts died after they fired at policemen during a drug buy-bust operation against Bada, a “notorious” drug peddler in Batasan.
Authorities recovered from the suspects six sachets believed to contain “shabu,” several drug paraphernalia, P200 in marked money, four 45-cal. pistols and two 38-cal. revolvers.
In Pasig City, police chief Senior Supt. Orlando Yebra Jr. said unidentified gunmen killed four persons included in the drug watch list of Barangays Pinagbuhatan and Bambang in a span of six hours.
At around 8 p.m. on Thursday, Gonzalo Beltran Jr. was killed in front of a bakery along MC Guinto Street in Pinagbuhatan. More than two hours later, Peter Fornis was shot dead inside his house at Sikat Araw Venus Street, also in Pinagbuhatan.
Around 1:45 a.m. on Friday, victims Antonino Cruz and Diether Dominguez were gunned down by an unknown suspect who barged inside their house at JB Miguel Street in Barangay Bambang.
In Makati City, unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen killed Ernesto Ortea, 52, of Barangay Pio del Pilar at around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday along M. Ocampo Street.
His brother, Carlo, said that Ernesto was indeed using and transporting shabu.
Thirty-eight-year-old Carlos Carrasco, a resident of Barangay 29 in Pasay City and a member of Sputnik gang, was shot to death inside a jeepney at the corner of J.P. Rizal Avenue and Villena Street in Makati City at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Police recovered two empty cartridge casings and a sachet containing shabu wrapped in bond paper inside his underwear. TVJ