ZAMBOANGA CITY – Two local policemen with alleged links to illegal drug trade were killed Saturday in a firefight with members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Counter-Intelligence Task Force (CITF) in Zamboanga City.
Task force agents were trying to arrest the duo, PO3 Ronald Bernardo and PO2 Maria Oliver Olaso, in the village of Ayala when the policemen reportedly engaged the arresting team, backed by police commandos, in a shootout.
This was also confirmed by the local police director, Senior Superintendent Alan Nazarro, according to E-media Television reports.
But former village chieftain Alex Macapili told E-Media Television that he was with Bernardo and Olaso and they just conducted an anti-illegal drug operation in the area when they ran into a group of policemen on their way home. And afterwards, policemen started shooting at them, said Macapili, who was able to ran to a safe place at the first burst of gunfire.
In the same report, E-Media said Macapili was the subject of a search warrant after police received information that he was keeping illegal weapons in his house. Police did not release details of the operation against Bernardo and Olaso, but their names were allegedly included in the task force watch list, the reports said.
The operation coincided with President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to kill policemen involved in illegal drugs and offered P5 million rewards for each rogue cop killed.
The families of the slain policemen did not release any statement on the accusations against Bernardo and Olaso, who were members of the anti-illegal drugs unit of the police station in Ayala. (Mindanao Examiner)
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