Sarangani elected officials die in police anti-drug ops

KORONADAL CITY - A town councilor and a village councilman in Sarangani province were killed early today for resisting police anti-drug operation in the coastal town of Kiamba.Supt. Aldrin Gonzales, speaking for police in the SOCCSKSARGEN region which covers Kiamba, identified the slain local officials as Ronilo Ronnie Mamaclay, incumbent town councilor of Kiamba and Frederick Jojo Orobia, village councilman of Barangay Poblacion, also in Kiamba. Both are high value targets of the police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Gonzales told www.ndbcnews.com.ph. They resisted arrest by firing at our lawmen who declared they were to serve the search warrants, he said.The law enforcers, composed of Regional Drug Enforcement Unit, Regional Mobile Force Battalion and Sarangani police provincial office and Kiamba PNP, were armed with four search warrants for Mamaclay and Orobia. Gonzales said the warrants, issued by Judge Oscar Noel of Regional Trial Court Branch 38, were separately but simultaneously served in the two officials' homes at 3 a.m. today.He said one police team proceeded to the house of Councilor Mamaclay but upon seeing the lawmen he opened fire, triggering a shootout. Mamaclay was injured and was rushed by police operatives to a hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.A .45 cal. pistol was recovered from Mamaclay with empty shells.Goinzales said in the house of village councilman Orobia, the police team was met with gunfire from the official, also triggering a brief firefight. Orobia was hurt and was brought to the nearest hospital where he expired along the way.Recovered from Orobia was a .38 caliber revolver.Gonzales said both Mamaclay and Orobia werein included in the narco-list of President Duterte, PDEA narcolist and was considered level 3 (protector) high value target. They were also in the list of PRO-12 regional anti-drug unit.With the death of two officials during anti-drug operations, 80 persons have perished in police-led law enforcement in Region 12 since December last year to date.Gonzales said the suspects resisted arrest of legitimate anti-drug operations by firing at law enforcers. (Edwin O. Fernandez)