CABANATUAN CITY – An alleged notorious drug pusher from Gapan City was killed in a running firefight with operatives from the town police and Provincial Public Safety Company-Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office (PPSC-NEPPO) at about 5 p.m. in in Barangay Poblacion, Penaranda town on Friday.
Supt. Ricardo Villanueva, PPSC commander, identified the suspect who succumbed to bullet wounds as Ronald Balagtas, of legal age, a resident of Purok Riverside, Barangay San Vicente, Gapan City.
Villanueva said that a concerned citizen informed the police about a certain “Manok” who was allegedly in the act of selling shabu in Poblacion, Penaranda. This prompted a team of municipal policemen led by Senior Insp. Rod Clemente and PPSC-NEPPO led by Police Officer 2 Nestor Ison to hatch an operation to arrest the suspect, who turned out to be Balagtas.
“Upon seeing the approaching operating team, the suspect immediately fled using his motorcycle,” Villanueva said, adding that Balagtas fired a handgun on the chasing lawmen.
