Marikina cop shot dead; illegal drug trade eyed

MANILA — A policeman was shot dead by an unidentified person on Wednesday, in Marikina City, supposedly because of his involvement in the illegal drug trade.

PO2 Rolando Collado, assigned at the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit (RPHAU) in Camp Bagong Diwa, was found dead behind Parang High School by residents at around 6 a.m. on Wednesday.  Police said that the victim was shot in the head and body.

Hours before Collado’s body was discovered behind the school at the corner of G. Del Pilar and Calcite Streets in Barangay Parang, the Marikina police chief, Senior Supt. Vincent Calanoga, said that a concerned citizen reported of hearing gunshots around the area. However, when police and barangay security personnel arrived at the scene, they didn’t notice anything unusual.

Calanoga said that the victim, who had been staying at Barangay Malanday, was previously assigned at their station’s anti-illegal drugs division before he was ordered transferred to RPHAU in January 2014.

The police official, who was yet to be the head of the Marikina police at the time Collado was reassigned, said he was not privy to why the victim was transferred but it might be because of allegations of involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Police found at the crime scene three empty shells from a cal. 9mm and a deformed slug.  SFM