21 Suspects Slain in Philippine Drug Raids

Police gunned down at least 21 suspected drug addicts in coordinated operations near Manila, just days after President Rodrigo Duterte vowed to shield policemen from prosecution in shootings related to his administration’s deadly war on narcotics.

The shootings during overnight operations that began on Monday were among the deadliest involving drug suspects since Duterte became president in June 2016, according to officials, and the spokesman for national police even suggested that the death toll from the evening’s combined raids was “normal.”

Provincial police chief Romeo Caramat said the suspects “were killed after resisting arrest and fighting it out with police officers,” adding that 64 others had been arrested.

In September, simultaneous raids by police and attacks by unknown vigilantes had also left 20 people dead cross the country, in one of the bloodiest nights around the capital Manila since Duterte took office as president.

Monday’s violence came more than two weeks after police in the southern Philippine city of Ozamiz killed the local mayor and 14 of his relatives and supporters in a drugs raid.

Police commandos killed Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog in an alleged shootout on July 30.

He was the third mayor killed from among a list of 150 politicians, judges, policemen and military personnel whom Duterte had publicly accused of being engaged in the illegal drugs trade.

A woman reacts at the wake for Ozamiz Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog, Aug. 13, 2017. [Mark Navales/BenarNews]

“If there had been 22 or 25 operations conducted, then that means that (death toll) was just normal,” Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos, the spokesman for national police, told reporters in Manila. “But if that had been a single operation that resulted to that number of casualties, that could be suspicious.”

He said that police in Bulacan province were “really doing their part in the anti-drug war.”

Nonetheless, he said, the internal affairs service of the national police would investigate the raids to make sure there was no foul play.

Last week, Duterte said he would protect police officers from prosecution if they killed a suspect in a shootout during a drug raid. He lambasted critics, including local and international rights group, for questioning his drugs war, which he said was meant to prevent the Philippines from turning into a “narco-state.”

He said he never ordered policemen to kill suspects wantonly, but stressed that every policeman should protect himself if attacked.

“If they want to put up a violent fight, thereby placing yourself, the lawmen, in jeopardy, go for it. That is my order,” Duterte had said.

He warned that should drug kingpins insist on war, “I will kill you all.”

Since he took office as president, more than 8,000 people have died in the drug war, including suspects shot by police and those whose deaths were blamed on vigilantes.

Felipe Villamor in Manila contributed to this report.