By Camille Guadalupe Lita
Two male suspected drug pushers were shot dead by police operatives during an anti-illegal drug buy bust operation conducted in the UP Arboretum Forest along Commonwealth Avenue on September 25.
Operatives from Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 9’s Anti-Illegal Drug Unit led by PSI Agustin B. Ubilas conducted a buy bust operation that resulted in a gun fight between the authorities and the armed men at about 2:46 AM.
One of the suspects was identified as 40-year old Romel Esguerra, resident of UP Employees Village. The unidentified male was about 5’7” in height, medium built, aged between 25 to 30 years old, and has a dragon tattoo under his armpit and a star tattoo on his right wrist and right neck.
“During the operation, one of the suspects sensed that alleged buyer is a policeman. A gun fight happened that resulted to the slain of the suspects,” said SPO2 Robert Cajiles, Chief Investigator of QCPD Station 9.
Both of the suspects were rushed to East Avenue Medical Center but were announced dead on arrival by their attending physician at 3:02 AM.
Cajiles explained that an operative may use whatever means to defend himself if his life is in imminent danger.
Recovered from the scene were the following: one caliber .45, loaded with six live bullets, one caliber .38 loaded with four live bullets, two 9mm fired cartridges and one caliber .45 fired cartridge.
Dubbed as the only remaining rain forest in Quezon City, UP Arboretum is part of the UP Diliman (UPD) campus and supports a diverse collection of plants and wildlife. Surrounding premises of the Arboretum is also home to around 2,500 residents, all of whom are informal settlers.
Despite being considered part of the Diliman campus, QCPD failed to notify the UPD Police of the operations within Arboretum.
“Itis not necessary because the drug campaign is nationwide and UPDP is just a unit of security guards, not the police. Walang pinipiling lugar ang pagbabuy bust,” said Cajiles.
Military and police forces within the university, other than the UPDP, are prohibited under the Soto-Enrile Accord, an agreement between UP and the Department of National Defense.
However, Cajiles pointed out that the Soto-Enrile Accord does not extend to the Philippine National Police’s conduct of drug operations.
“[T]here are so many places now in Metro Manila that concerns the operation on drugs, whereas there are no authorities questioning the legality of the operation because they are authorized by the government as well as the proper authorities concerned,” he added.
Overall, there are now 1,734 people killed in the current administration’s war on drugs: 1,020 killed in police operations, 581 killed by vigilante groups, and 133 bodies were found away from the crime scene.
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