By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – A suspected drug pusher was fatally shot during a buy-bust operation by police in Barangay Inayawan, Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on Good Friday.
The deceased was identified as 42-year-old Elejarde Oblianda Jr., from the same village.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Gary Allan Resuma, the town’s police chief, reported that Oblianda had been under surveillance for a month before the police initiated the operation against him.
During the operation, it appeared that Oblianda realized he was interacting with a police agent, prompting him to pull out a firearm and fire at one of the officers.
Fortunately, the officer was wearing a bulletproof vest and was unharmed. The police returned fire, resulting in Oblianda’s death from a single gunshot wound, as per Resuma’s account.
During the operation, authorities seized 10 grams of what is believed to be shabu, valued at P68,000, P600 in marked money, P15,520 in cash, and the suspect’s purported .45 caliber pistol with two magazines and ammunition.
Subsequently, the suspect’s 40-year-old live-in partner from Kabankalan City was arrested and will face charges related to the illegal drug trade.
Resuma described Oblianda as “armed and dangerous,” noting several prior complaints for threats against him.
Oblianda had been incarcerated for attempted murder but was released on bail, while his partner had also been imprisoned for a drug-related offense before being released through plea bargaining.
In a separate case, a 31-year-old man was found deceased at Sitio Hinobigon, Purok 2, Barangay Bulata in the same town last Sunday.
A person tending to his carabao came across the victim lying in a field with injuries to his neck and the left side of his face. The victim was last seen collecting coconut shells for his livelihood in nearby sitios of Barangay Bulata.
