A former police officer tagged as a high-value-target in the Bohol Provincial Police Office’s (BPPO) campaign against narcotics trade was shot dead after allegedly resisting arrest during an anti-drug operation in Talibon shortly before 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
Authorities identified the suspect as former PO2 Edgardo Bunado, a resident of San Isidro, Talibon who was assigned in the said town prior to his dismissal from the service.
According to PO3 Luigi Gabisan, the suspect was subjected to a buy-bust operation by the BPPO Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) and the Regional Intelligence Division.
The suspect was reportedly on board his tricycle and was about to deliver ice candy when he was spotted by authorities.
During the staged transaction, Bunado then sold shabu worth P500 to a police poseur-buyer while backup units of the police were already about to arrest him, Gabisan said.
However, the suspect allegedly sensed that he was transacting with an undercover policeman prompting him to pull out his firearm but was unable to shoot.
The police reportedly shot at Bunado first hitting the suspect in his forehead.
Bunado was still rushed to the Talibon District Hospital but he was declared dead on arrival by attending physician Dr. Vidal Manga.
Meanwhile, operatives found in the suspect’s possession a 9mm Beretta, 14 sachet pieces containing suspected shabu worth P472,000 and cash in different denominations.
For his part, PIB chief Sr. Insp. Jojit Mananquil said that Bunado went absent without official leave (Awol) last year leading to his dismissal from service.
The suspect had reportedly started drug operations since then.
According to Mananquil, Bunado went off the police’s radar prior to the PIB chief’s reassignment back to Bohol.
However, police found out that the suspect was still involved in the drug trade after Mananquil ordered surveillance operations against the suspect several weeks before today’s anti-drug operation. (Allen Doydora with reports from Weli Maetsrado)