THREE more suspected drug users were shot dead in separate incidents in Cebu City yesterday dawn, raising to 96 the number of slain drug suspects since July 1.
One of the victims, a still unidentified man, had a cardboard placed near his body that read: “Pusher at user, ayaw sunda! Mahurot mo (Pusher and user. Don’t be like him. You’ll all be dead).”
Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said 42 of the 96 suspected drug pushers were killed by unknown assailants while the rest were gunned down during police operations.
Taliño said he could not yet conclude whether or not there are vigilantes operating in Metro Cebu.
“We’re still investigating. You know very well that I’m against extrajudicial killings,” he said in an interview yesterday.
The Commission on Human Rights in Central Visayas (CHR-7) is also looking into at least nine possible cases of extrajudicial killings — all involving policemen.
Taliño welcomed the investigation conducted by CHR-7 but insisted that the operations conducted by policemen against suspected drug pushers were all legitimate.
“I assure the public that policemen will do better in our continuing campaign against illegal drugs,” he said.
Taliño said there are more drug suspects arrested by the police than those who got killed though he has no figures yet.
Senior Supt. Joel Doria, Cebu City police chief, said he instructed police precinct chiefs to investigate the deaths of drug peddlers by unknown assailants.
“It’s unfortunate that this happened. I’m not sure if they were killed by vigilantes or just by their group mates who may have a grudge against them,” he said.
At past midnight Monday, 30-year-old Clark Alviola died after he was shot in the nape by an unidentified assailant while he was walking along the highway of Sitio Fatima, Barangay Bulacao in Cebu City.
An hour after, 42-year-old Melencio Ramirez was shot down by unknown motorcycle-riding gunman while he was sitting along the roadside with other bystanders in Sitio Mahayahay, Barangay Calamba.
Police said both Alviola and Ramirez were suspected drug users that were invited to surrender during the police’s Oplan TokHang but refused to do so.
At 3 a.m. yesterday, the remains of an unidentified man was found with a piece of cardboard near it bearing the message “Pusher at user, ayaw sunda! Mahurot mo (Pusher and user. Don’t be like him. You’ll all be dead)” at Climaco St., Barangay Pahina Central.
Also found in the crime scene were five small sachets believed to contain shabu.
The victim sustained a gunshot wound in his neck and was brought to St. Francis Funeral Homes in Cebu City.
In Danao City, motorcycle-riding assailants shot down 29-year-old suspected drug user identified as Louie Medio Lao in Barangay Poblacion, Danao City at 11 p.m. last Sunday.
PO3 Arnold Labini of the Danao City police said the assailants left a message in bond paper which read: “Pusher adik ako, wag akong tuluran (I’m an addict pusher, don’t be like me).”
In barangay Babag, Lapu-Lapu City, more than P100,000 were confiscated from 43-year-old suspected drug pusher Jerry Malingin in a buy-bust operation at 5 a.m. yesterday.
Taken from Malingin’s possession were P200 marked money, 40 pieces of small sachets and one medium size pack of suspected shabu worth P118,000.