By Jun Enriquez
Iligan
City –In a press briefing held at the headquarters of the 2nd
Mechanized Infantry “Magbalantay” Brigade, Philippine Army, Ma. Cristina this
city, October 11, 2016, that as early at 5:30 in the morning of this same day the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested
illegal drug pusher, a certain Ismael Matuan Barao, 29 years old on a buy-bust
operation by a posture buyer PDEA agent at Barao residence in Barangay Kiasar,
Tagolaon, Lanao del Norte. The drug buy-bust operation was conducted by the
joint operation of the PDEA and the 4th Mechanized Infantry
Battalion, Philippine Army, under the command of Col. Alex Aduca, Battalion
commander.
At right Ultimax shotgun & Armalite, mark money & shabu |
PDEA
Region 10 Director Adrian Alvariño, led the raiding team said the buy-bust
transaction was consummated but later on the suspect sensing that he was
transacting a PDEA agent immediately ran to the other house in the neighborhood, draw
his gun and shoot the raiding team. The raiding team retaliated and hit the
suspect leading to his arrest.
Recovered
from the possession of Barao were more or less 20 grams of shabu, mark money
used in the buy-bust by the posture agent worth 5,000 pesos, one Armalite M16
automatic rifle and Ultimax semi-automatic shotgun with number of ammunitions.
Barao was wounded during the shootout and treated at the Gregorio T. Lluch
Memorial Hospital this city.
seated right at background, Col. Alunday |
Director
Alvariño said that there are still plenty of names listed in Tagoloan area
subject for follow-up operations. Alvariño said that they conducted
intelligence operation to find out the suspect and was validated. He said they
were looking at possibility the presence of drug laboratory in the area of
responsibility in Region 10 considering the fact of 2 kilograms of illegal drugs
– shabu was apprehended last month in
Iligan City. He said list of drug lords in Region 10 will not include Lanao del
Sur. Alvariño said the suspect was the subject of the anti-drug operation and
was validated target personality in the operation. There are many armed
personalities and plenty of lawless elements present in the area of Tagoloan that’s why
the raiding team also had its numbers. Alvariño said that the suspect was just came from a vacation in Manila. He had companions based on the list of illegal drug
personalities but was not seen during the raid operation. He said they strongly
believed that there were persons supplying illegal drugs in the Tagoloan area.
Tagoloan
Mayor Mighty Dimakuta said the suspect is a resident in Kiasar with his family
and parents. He said there was marijuana plantation raided before in forested
area of Sitio Pindulunan Barangay Kiasar, Tagoloan boundary of Pantar, Lanao del Norte. He said that just recently, the 4th
Mechanized Battalion inspected the area and found out that there was a newly
harvested marijuana plantation. Dimakuta said he instructed the Barangay
chairman in the area to closely monitor and clear the marijuana plantation. He
said that the area is very difficult to reach because of mountainous terrain
and it is also difficult to identify any person responsible in planting the marijuana.
Col.
Ezra James Enriquez, Deputy Commander of the 2nd Mechanized
“Magbalantay” Brigade, Philippine Army said they continue step up security
measures and implemented pro-active actions based on the memorandum no. 5 on
the State of lawlessness. He said PDEA is the main agency to execute the raid in
buy-bust operation while the military is just a support mechanism. Col.
Enriquez said Barao,the hospitalized suspected pusher is a manifestation of the
protocol on International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Col. Enriquez said the military had another
purpose in the area fora clearing operation because the provincial government
will launch a Specialize mass base program (SMBP) on October 13, 2016, to be
held in Poblacion, Tagoloan, Lanaodel Norte. He said criminals if found verified
and validated that they stayed in the controlled areasof the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF), they will file complaint and request the Ad hoc joint
action group (AHJAG) composed of the Military and MILF forces to go after the
criminals for their arrest. Col. William A. Alunday is the commander of the 2nd
Mechanized Infantry “Magbalantay” Brigade, Philippine Army.
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