By LITO RULONA
and GENEVIEVE CANTOR
Correspondents
AUTHORITIES killed an alleged “Born Again” Christian pastor and arrested 14 other drug suspects in raids carried out in line with the police’s “Oplan Lambat Sibat” campaign here at dawn yesterday.
City police director Senior Supt. Faro Antonio Olaguera identified the slain suspect as 36-year old Rene Reyes of Zone 6, Barangay Kauswagan, this city.
Olaguera said Reyes, who hailed from Lanao del Norte, had credentials as a pastor of a “Born Again” group called The Lord Reigns International Ministries but added that investigators have yet to validate and make a conclusion.
Police alleged that Reyes fired at officers from the Carmen police who came to serve a search warrant, prompting law enforcers to shoot back, hitting the suspect twice in the chest.
Police said two caliber .45 pistols, sachets of suspected shabu, and drug paraphernalia were found inside Reyes’s residence.
Olaguera said Reyes fired shots while other drug suspects tried to escape as officers barged into the house.
“He (Reyes) was under our watchlist,” said Olaguera, adding that Reyes’s name had always surfaced as police gathered and validated information to build their case before the raid.
“Dugay na kini siya giplanohan until nakakuha kita og opportunity,” Olaguera said.
Olaguera said police were also surprised to find out that Reyes had credentials as a pastor.
“But we are still conducting more validation on his pastoral job. This is subject to more validation (because) how come he became a pastor when he was involved in the illegal drug trade. We cannot absolutely say nga pastor gyud siya in the real sense of the word,” he said.
The Kauswagan operation was one of the simultaenous raids carried out by the police at the same time. The other raids were made in Balulang and Barangay 34.
The simultaneous raids resulted in the arrest of Christopher Zambas, Emelio Galon, Patrick Sapong, Dexter Nuñez, Bert Waban, Reagan Waban, Edcel Waban and Alvie Ayunar in Kauswagan;
Rudy Pelenio, Ronnie Enobio, Michael Pello, and John Alfred Chan in Sitio Mabasa, Barangay Balulang; and
Ellevera Janao and Gary Paul Qumison in Barangay 34.
The raids were staged by the officers from the Philippine Public Safety Company, Detective Management Desk, and City Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force.
The police’s “One Time, Big Time” campaign under Oplan Lambat-Sibat is aimed at carrying out a reinvigorated crime prevention effort through “deliberate, programmatic and sustained” police operations that include setting up checkpoints, “Oplan Bakal-Sita,” mobile patrols, beat patrols, and “Oplan Bulabog.”
