News Briefs: Police kill 88 more drug suspects in three months

Police kill 88 more drug suspects in three months

Police antinarcotics operatives have killed 88 drug personalities almost three months after the Philippine National Police was brought back into the war on drugs.

But the police operations resulted in the death of a policeman, PO2 Evie Espina, who was shot dead in a buy-bust operation.

According to PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. John Bulalacao the number of drug surrenderers continues to rise because of “Oplan Tokhang (knock and plead).”

He said that in the Jan. 29-Feb. 22 period, there had been 2,489 drug surrenderers nationwide with Northern Mindanao posting the highest number, followed by Metro Manila.

“Project Tokhang house visits (have) been uneventful and bloodless until the third week of implementation,” Bulalacao said.

“Oplan Double Barrel Reloaded,” however, has seen the death of 88 drug personalities and the arrest of 8,773 others in 5,636 antinarcotic operations from Dec. 5, 2017, to Feb. 22 this year.—JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE

Sorsogon Bishop Emeritus Jesus Varela; 90

Sorsogon Bishop Emeritus Jesus Varela passed away on Friday morning. He was 90. In a Facebook post, the news arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said that Varela died around 2:30 a.m. on Friday, at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Pasay City.

According to the Diocesan Chancery of Sorsogon, the wake will begin on Saturday at the El Retiro in Sorsogon.

Varela’s remains will be transferred the next day to the Home for the Clergy in the Diocese of Sorsogon. On Tuesday night, the remains will be brought to the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Sorsogon for an overnight vigil and wake, with a funeral Mass to be held on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Born on Dec. 18, 1927, in Bacolod City, Varela was ordained a priest on March 17, 1956, in Cebu City and later became a member of the Society of Jesus. He was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Sorsogon on Nov. 27, 1980.—JULIE M. AURELIO

DOT sees more Chinese tourist arrivals in 2018

With more Chinese cruise trips and direct flights to Philippine destinations, the Department of Tourism (DOT) is targeting 1.5 million Chinese tourist arrivals this year, Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo said on Friday.

“We are aiming higher and we are targeting 1.5 million,” she said in a statement.

DOT data show that last year, 968,447 Chinese nationals visited the country, overtaking the Americans at the second spot of the top tourism source markets.

Arrivals almost doubled, with 43.33-percent growth from 675,663 in the previous year.

Last month, Chinese arrivals totalled 111,344, a 29.55-percent increase from the same period last year. According to Teo, “warming relations” between Manila and Beijing continued to bring “more advantage” to the Philippines.—JEROME ANING