July 2, 2003, The Philippine Star, Philippine police call for end to vigilante drug killings,

July 2, 2003, The Philippine Star, Philippine police call for end to vigilante drug killings,

Four bodies, including a torso - all of them apparent victims of a vigilante group waging a campaign against illegal drugs - were found in separate areas in Quezon City [QC] yesterday.

According to the Central Police District-Central Investigation Unit (CPD-CIU), the three corpses, including that of a woman, were dumped in Sanville Subdivision, Barangay Culiat while the man's torso was discovered in Barangay Quirino 2-A, Project 2.

Initial investigation revealed that a certain Eric Soriano accidentally discovered the three dead bodies in front of a house on Renowned street while on his way to work around 4:30 a.m. [passage omitted] All three were blindfolded with packaging tape and had their throats cut. A folder with the message "Kung gusto mo pang mabuhay itigil pagbenta ng shabu [methamphetamine hydrochloride]" (If you want to go on living, stop selling shabu) was placed on top of their bodies. The warning was signed by "Vigilante Inc., QC Chapter".

Meanwhile, patrolling barangay tanods [village watchmen] of Barangay Quirino 2-A discovered the torso of a man 30 minutes after the discovery of the three dead bodies. [passage omitted]

Police said they believe that only one group was responsible for the salvaging. The bodies were merely dumped in different areas to mislead investigators, they said.

Follow-up operations are being conducted by authorities to determine the persons behind the slays.

Last week, the body of a suspected drug pusher was found in Barangay Sto. Domingo, Quezon City. The victim also had a deep laceration in the throat and was stabbed thrice in the various parts of the body. A folder with marking "/Do not emulate. Not only robber, but also shabu pusher/" was placed on the chest of the victim, whose hands and ankle were bound. Shabu paraphernalia was recovered in the area.

"We don't need them"

Philippine National Police (PNP) Deputy Director-General Edgar Aglipay, head of the newly-created Special Task Force on Illegal Drugs, said yesterday there is no room for vigilantism in the renewed campaign against illegal drugs. Aglipay appealed to the groups behind the series of salvaging in Metro Manila and nearby provinces not to resort to "vigilante" operations. He said vigilantes should be stopped to avoid a breakdown in peace and order in the country.

"The help that we are asking is that which is within the law and only legal acts in order to stamp out this problem. We are not asking for vigilantes," he said.

Aglipay said vigilante groups will only make matters worse, instead of solving the drug problem.

"That is not within the law and will only create more problems, aside from our current problem," he said.