Town councilor and wife killed in police anti-drugs operations in Sultan Kudarat 

August 27, 2018

DAVAO CITY — A town councilor said to be included in Preside Rodrigo Duterte's drug list  and his wife were killed after they reportedly opened fire on policemen who serving a search warrant on their home in Fatima village, General Santos City

The suspects,  Noren Apil, 54, a town official of Palimbang in Sultan Kudarat and his wife Juliet Bitayo, 46, fired at policemen Saturday 10 p.m., regional police director Chief Supt. Eliseo Rasco said Monday.

Rasco said Apil has long been under surveillance due to  alleged involvement in illegal drugs.

“Both of them resisted, took their handguns and opened fire towards approaching cops. Bitayo was a level 1 target drug personality while Apil was listed under level 2 based on the President’s narco list,” Rasco said.

Police rushed the suspects to the Dr. Jorge P. Royeca Hospital but were declared dead on arrival by attending doctors.

In another search operation, Rasco said the team seized suspected shabu, firearms, ammunition and a grenade at the house of PO1 Michael Sepi in the same village.

He said Sepi, assigned at the Maguindanao Police Provincial Office, is a brother of Juliet Bitayo and reportedly “one of her protectors.”

“He  was not around during the operation and is currently at-large,” Rasco said, hand guns and 13 sachets containing suspected shabu, were recovered by police. DMS