Village chief, 4 other drug suspects killed in Luzon

MANILA, Philippines - Five more suspected drug personalities, including a barangay captain, were killed in separate incidents in Luzon in the past two days. 

Carlito Borlongan, chairman of Barangay Babatnin in Malolos City, Bulacan, was walking in Barangay Bagnan when he was shot at around 3 p.m. on Friday. Witnesses said one of the suspects took the personal belongings of the victim before they fled toward the city proper.

Jerome Cofin, alias Esto, a resident of Barangay Sta. Rosa 1 in Marilao town, reportedly resisted arrest and drew his gun at anti-drug operatives during a sting at around 2:20 a.m. also on Friday. 

Cofin yielded five sachets of shabu, a caliber .38 revolver and drug paraphernalia, police said.

In Laguna, Jacking Guevarra, a newly identified drug suspect, reportedly shot it out with lawmen in a sting in Barangay Samsin in Calamba City before dawn yesterday.

Guevarra yielded nine sachets of shabu, a caliber .45 pistol and a Kawasaki motorcycle, said Superintendent Fernando Ortega, Calamba City police chief.

George Caesar Ellorza, 38, was found dead in a vacant lot in Purok 1, Barangay Bibirao in Daet, Camarines Norte on Friday.

Mario Mayuga was standing in front of his house in Barangay Poblacion II in Laurel when he was shot. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Laurel Municipal Hospital.

Witnesses said the suspects fled toward Barangay San Gabriel in Calaca.

Police said Mayuga surrendered under Oplan Tokhang last December.  The other fatalities are on the drug watchlist in their areas.

More arrests

More drug suspects were arrested under Oplan Double Barrel Reloaded on Friday.

Nine were collared in Cavite, six in Batangas, five each  in Quezon and Bulacan and two in Cagayan.

In Surigao City, Juan Patagan, 47; Niño Reyna, 32; Alma Gabion, 29; Marlouie Japay, 27, and Rossman Mulchandani, 35, were arrested during a raid on a suspected drug den in Barangay Washington. The suspects yielded at least 25 grams of shabu with an estimated street value of P250,000, drug paraphernalia and marked money.

A report of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Caraga said the suspects tested positive for drug use.

2 gunned down

Meanwhile, unidentified motorcycle-riding men shot dead two persons in Pangasinan on Friday.

Faith healer Mary Pulido, 51, was hanging clothes in front of her house in Barangay Poblacion, Urdaneta City when she was attacked. She was declared dead on arrival at the Urdaneta District Hospital.

Jojo Espalarga, 39, of Barangay Ican, Malasiqui  was on his way home when he was shot.

Police have yet to determine the motive for the attacks. – Ramon Efren Lazaro, Ric Sapnu, Ed Amoroso, Francis Elevado, Raymund Catindig, Ben Serrano, Eva Visperas, Emmanuel Tupas