MAGUINDANAO DEL NORTE, Philippines – Two police officers were killed and four other people were wounded in a shootout during an anti-drug operation in Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao del Norte on Friday, November 15.
Lieutenant Colonel Jopy Ventura, spokesperson of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), identified the fatalities as Corporal Roselyn Bulias and Patrolman Kirt Sipin, both members of the PNP’s Drug Enforcement Group’s Special Operations Unit-BARMM.
The gunfight took place as police attempted to arrest suspected drug dealers in a midday operation at a time when Friday prayers of Muslims were taking place in Sultan Kudarat town
Police seized a kilogram of suspected shabu (meth) from the suspects, identified as Suhod Kasim and Ting Katulangan, who were also wounded in the clash. They were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, Ventura said.
Two other officers, Patrolmen Jonel Ramos and Eddie Sugarol, were also wounded and were also rushed to a hospital.
Authorities launched a manhunt for two more suspects who managed to escape. Their identities have not yet been disclosed.
Lieutenant Colonel Joel Estaris, former chief of the PNP’s Drug Enforcement Group in BARMM, condemned the killing of the two officers, saying it showed the dangers police always face in the campaign against illegal drugs.
“This incident is an eye-opener for the government, proving what could happen when suspects fight back against the operatives,” Estaris said when he came to comfort the bereaved families of his two former subordinates. – Rappler.com