Village councilman in PDEA watch list killed

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A village councilman was gunned down by six unidentified armed men at Barangay 26 here Saturday night.

Killed was Kagawad Romeo Canlas Jr., 33, of Barangay 2.

According to Police Major Sherlock Gabana, head of Police Station 2, Canlas was included in the watch list of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) since 2016 for alleged drug peddling.

Gabana said police were also monitoring Canlas but they cannot find evidence against him because he was not holding any contraband or money used in the illegal trade.

He acted as a “bridge” during transactions,” the station commander added.

Gabana said some arrested drug personalities in the village usually “dropped” his name if they want to be cleared of links to illegal drugs.

Police Major Reynante Jomocan, head of Police Station 4, said Canlas and his partner were staying at the house of another kagawad in Barangay 26, for almost two months now, as he was reportedly avoiding something in Barangay 2.

“Daw kainit to kuno sa iya sa Barangay 2, amo na nga nag-ayo siya sa isa ka kagawad na ma stay anay sa iya balay,” the station commander added.

Canlas, however, did not elaborate on his problem or his concern.

On the night of the shooting, Canlas was drinking liquor with seven companions after joining a cock derby when armed men stormed the compound and looked for him.

The armed men told others to drop on the ground while the two village councilmen were brought a few meters away from where they were previously seated.

When they identified Canlas, the other kagawad was also told to drop on the ground.

The perpetrators then fired their guns at Canlas, leaving him with eight gunshot wounds. The armed men, who were wearing face masks and jackets, fled on board a sports utility vehicle.

Canlas He was rushed to Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital here, where he was declared dead.

Police recovered from the scene shells of .9mm caliber and .45 caliber ammunitions.

Jomocan said the gunmen were well-versed in the area, indicating that Canlas was probably being monitored prior the attack.

Jomocan said they cannot confirm yet if it was drug-related as they are probing all possible angles to establish the motive behind the killing.

He said they will also trace back complaints and records against Canlas to check if these can be linked to his death.

He said they already have a copy of a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera which could help them identify the plate number or conduction sticker of the getaway vehicle and identify the perpetrators.