Cops eye same group on slay of drug personalities

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Police in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental are looking into the possibility that one group is behind the shooting incidents that killed some drug personalities in the city.

The recent incident was reported at Ylagan Extension, Barangay 6 last Monday, killing Peter Paul Orbita, 39, of the said village, an alleged drug personality.

Major Ryan Villasario, deputy chief of San Carlos City Police Station, said the victim was standing in the area when an unidentified person approached and shot him around 6:55 p.m.

Orbita was declared dead in a hospital. Police recovered from the scene five fired bullets from a .45 caliber pistol.

Villasario said that this incident was included in the more than five drug-related killings in the city in the latter part of this year. This is the first drug-related shooting incident for this month, he added.

He added that they already have a person of interest. However, he said that they are having difficulty in filing the cases because there are no witnesses.

Villasario said that witnesses fear for their safety, thus they would usually refuse to testify on these incidents.

“Amo na ang pinakabudlay kay nahadlok ang mga tawo kay basi sila ang balikan,” the deputy chief said.

For his part, Lieutenant Colonel Jesus Mesahon Jr., city police chief, said that they already have a lead on the group that’s behind these incidents. However, he refused to elaborate further, pending the investigation.

Mesahon said that most of the killings were due to failed illegal drug transactions. “May mga instances nga kung indi sila kabayad, amo na gina himo sang grupo sa ila,” he added.

Because of these incidents, Mesahon said that they have maximized police presence in the city to prevent the same from happening.